Futureship 3: Let's Consult The Futoracle
by SirAngelo
Summary: How would you feel if you caught a glimpse of your future? Of your lovers and children? Would you be happy? Shocked? Ashamed? Brush it off with a laugh? Be overwhelmed by the insanity of it all? Or would you make a game of it and try to have some fun with your friends? Well, for Sora and his friends, the answer would have to be all of the above...
1. Setting Up The Board

_**CONTINUITY NOTE: Obviously, this is a sequel in line with the two previous Futureship stories. I know they didn't light the world on fire, but I really do like both previous stories and think they're some of the best pieces I've written. As such, I would highly recommend reading both "Futureship" and "Futureship 2" before going forth on this one.  
**_

_**Either way, let's get to the show!**_

* * *

**Setting Up The Board**

On it's face, a package being left unattended on a doorstep wasn't the oddest thing to find in the modern world. Far from it, in fact. Plenty of package delivery companies and services would leave their parcels outside their destination if no one was present to receive them. Nothing out of the ordinary in the slightest.

But this particular parcel, found unattended on a midsummer August day, was stranger than most. It was a plain, unmarked cardboard box with no labels or stamps of any kind to identify where it may have come from. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that none of the occupants of the house it appeared in front of had ordered anything in quite sometime.

Then, there was the fact of who were the occupants of the Shiratori household, nestled in the quiet town of Salm on the lush, tropical paradise of the world known as Destiny Islands, and why they might be a little apprehensive to receive a mysterious package.

Formerly just a Somebody and her Nobody, now simply sisters, young women with their whole lives ahead of her, and Wielders of the Keyblade: Kairi and Namine Shiratori.

And, as Key Bearers, they were use to all sorts of weird things happening in and around their lives. All manners of strange, chaotic events being attracted to them, being swept up in them, and getting involved in them. Time travel and multiple alternate selves, dastardly villains and their grandiose machinations, physical transformations into new and strange forms. And strange as those were, that was still the on the mundane side of strange, for a Key Bearer; things only got weirder from their. Children from the future and hallucinations and worlds layered within other worlds and magical talking books and killer cheese souffles (Namine still couldn't go into her kitchen without feeling a slight, involuntary shiver).

An unattended package wasn't the strangest thing. But it wasn't the most normal thing either. Or the most life-affirming. Not to mention Namine had found it in the short time that Aqua (their house guest and Kairi's teacher) had left for her morning run, and when Namine stepped outside to water her garden.

"So... what exactly are we going to do with this?" Namine asked her sister, who was pacing back and forth along the kitchen floor. Currently, the mystery box was sitting on the kitchen table, Namine sitting across from it, with both girls keeping their eyes locked on it. Kairi seemed wary about the entire thing, but Namine couldn't help but feel a growing shred of curiosity within her. She knew she probably should show a bit more caution regarding this entire thing, but her inquisitive mind typically would get the best of her in scenarios such as this.

"Right now? Nothing." The redhead assessed, as she finally stopped pacing, but still keeping a fair breadth between her and the box. "We'll keep it in our sights all day, but we're not gonna touch it. I have lessons on the Garden tomorrow, so I'll send it Merlin's way, and he can figure out what's what."

Despite Kairi's declaration and wary nature, Namine's hands began to creep their way to the parcel. "But you're not just the least bit curious as to what's inside?" She could easily bound up from her position and rip open the box before Kairi could stop her. She was sure. And then... well she wasn't sure what would happen next, but at least her curiosity would be sated. "I mean, what could possibly go wrong, Kai?"

"Uh, anything! Everything!" Kairi could see the look in her sister's eye. See her hands inch closer and closer to the parcel. The redhead moved closer to the table and box, ready to intercept. "How many enemies do we have that are still at large and would love to get even with us? Hell, two week ago, didn't you get your shadow stolen by that sorceress? What was her name? Mystica... Quackatha...?"

"Magica. Magica De Spell." Namine quickly corrected, brushing away her sister's concern. It wasn't the most dire situation she had ever been placed in to. Just her shadow coming to life and antagonizing her. At this point in her life, in her career as a Key Bearer, it was just a minor inconvenience. "Besides, it can't be Magica. Scrooge reversed her spell and sealed her in a one-Gil bill and, oh boy, that's a strange sentence to say aloud..."

Namine dwelt on her words and the strangeness of her life for a moment, before her hands darted forward, quickly seizing onto the package. Kairi moved just as fast, coming up to the edge of the table and placing a hand on the blonde's wrist, her grip gentle but firm.

"Namine, be serious here..."

"C'mon Kai! You be serious." Namine pleaded, hands still wrapped around the package. "One, if this was some kind of trap, I highly doubt it would remain inactive for this long. If it were a bomb or cursed or whatever, it would have gone off when we were talking. Two, I know you feel suspicious and wary, but we would know immediately if this was the least bit magical. And three..." Namine cast her head down slightly, while a smile – partly shy and partly manic – appeared. "I really really want to know what this is and who sent it!"

The caution and seriousness remained present in Kairi's purple-blue eyes, her lips pressing together into a hard line, apprehension all too apparent in her body language. Still, despite all that, Kairi relinquished her hold on Namine's wrist. "I don't like this, Nam. And I don't trust our history with weird stuff like this... But, I trust you, and I trust you know what you're doing... right?"

"Well... I know how to open a box, you can trust me on that!" Namine punctuated her statement with a breezy laugh, but the joke did little to win her sister over. The blonde sighed, leaving the table to go and fetch a utensil to assist her in ripping the package open. "Look, worse case scenario, I have you, and Roxas, and Sora to come and save me. There's no way you guys wouldn't come to my rescue."

Well, she wasn't wrong about that one. Every one of the Key Bearers would go to any lengths to rescue and ensure the safety of their friends and loved ones, and, in most cases, they had already done so. Hell, it had barely been over two years since Roxas and Namine had been restored. No way Kairi or anyone else would let the two ex-Nobodies slip away so soon.

All the same, Kairi felt an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, making motions to summon her Keyblade. "Alright, Nam, but I'm still going to-"

With fervent zeal and an all-too excitable expression, Namine took a steak knife to the top of the box and ripped into the brown cardboard, sans grace or technique. Just hacking into it. Kairi sort of wished her sister showed this kind of intensity in the heat of combat.

"Or we could just do that..."

In the end, it was probably a bit too much effort applied to a simple solution, as the top of the box had been shredded to bits – barely enough remained to actually cover the damn thing and whatever it's contents were. Namine peeled back the barest remainder and then paused, as did Kairi, waiting for something. Something bad.

There was no explosion. No ominous magical glow. No howling spirits of the damned cursing the two girls. No flood of darkness or tide of light to wash them away. No monsters or demons or anything else. Nothing happened. The box (seemed) completely normal.

"So far, so good." Namine said, as she began to rummage through the interior of the box. The package was of a fair size – maybe five foot cubed all in all – and it's contents didn't seem to fill much of that volume. Haphazardly throwing out handfuls of styrofoam peanuts and paper filler, the blonde blindly dug through the dross to find her prize.

Eventually, after much rifling and trashing (and Kairi grousing under her breath of the mess her normally fastidious sister was making), Namine found something of interest: a letter!

"Dear Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, and Riku," Namine read aloud. Kairi was listening along, while collecting all the scraps Namine had tossed aside. "We hope that you find yourselves well, on this day, August 15th, and we wish you well in the futures to come." Namine stopped ready to exchange a glance with her sister. There was some odd choices of words and syntax in this. And why was the letter sealed in the box instead of attached to the exterior?

Namine skimmed ahead, eyes growing wide with understanding.

"Oh boy..."

"What is it Nam?"

Namine read on, keeping her sister in suspense.

"And we know we have been barred from traveling to meet you – under penalty of death – but we still wanted to make one final connection, and so, we have sent you this. Be warned, it will only stay with you until midnight tonight, so make use of it while you can. Take care of yourselves, and we love all of you.

"Signed, the members of the Future Children's Alliance."

Kairi could feel the air leave the room when Namine uttered those three final words. The two Future Children Incidents weren't necessarily the worst things she or Sora or the others had experienced, but they were still embarrassing, confusing, and frustrating days to live and relive. She knew Riku would still complain about them every now and again – mostly due to being involved in both of them – but he complained about everything, anyway. But even then, Kairi wasn't longing to go back and reminisce about those days. She was happy with how her life was, happy with how it was progressing, happy with the future she was building for herself. Happy with her relationship with Sora... Yes, part of her was always aware any number of futures could unfold from this point in time, and no relationship was perfect and everlasting – it was naive to think otherwise – but it was Kairi's life, no one else's, and she wanted to be the only author of her fate and future.

"What is it that they sent?" Kairi finally asked, now having switched back to a more wary cautious form. The children wanted to make one "final connection" so they sent "this". Was it a book documenting all these children? Some kind of device that let you communicate with people in the future? And why and how would it only stay until midnight?

"Let's see..." For a moment, it looked like Namine would go back into digging through the sea of packing materials to find the other items, but her hands stopped midway. Instead, she took hold of either end of the parcel and dumped it on it's head, everything spill out of the box and onto the kitchen table, making even more of a mess than there already was.

"You're really lucky mom is out today. She'd freak if she saw you make such a mess."

Namine paid no mind to Kairi's protestations or the trash she was spreading, as she continued to sift through the refuse of her making, wildly moving her hands about before they struck something hard and solid. The blond immediately pounced and retrieved the mysterious object – the gift sent through time by the future children.

The device in question was tiny, easily fitting within one of Namine's dainty palms, a little compact cylinder with rounded edges, and possessing a very iPod aesthetic: near featureless and matte white; overly cool to the point of trying too hard, and overly sterile to the point of lacking personality. Speaker mesh covered the majority of the rounded sides, with a power button mounted on the front, and some sort of projector built into the top of the thing: a square of opaque glass.

"Almost looks like one of those personal home assistance things." Kairi commented, approaching her sister to get a good look at the thing, feet wading through discard packaging guts as she did. The redheaded Key Bearer wasn't certain what she was expecting Namine would find, but she certainly wasn't expecting this. "Do you think it's loaded with spyware and it'll sell our personal information to some soulless conglomerate?" She joked, as Namine continued to examine it in astute silence.

"If it were sent by Moogle or Ozmazon, I would say so, and then throw it in the trash. Immediately." Namine rolled the little thing over and over, trying to find something about it. Anything more. The construction of this, whoever made it, was smooth. Perfect. There was no real point of disconnection or separation. With the exception of the power button, everything seemed like it wall made out of one piece. "But I trust the FCA... to an extent." Kairi flashed her a skeptical look. "Well, I mean, sure it was a bit of a shock in the moment, and Misha was a little rough around the edges. But Seito and Raine and Teysa all seemed like nice people. We learned a little about ourselves, saw something new in our friends and loved ones. It was... kind of fun, in retrospect."

"You and I have very different definitions of 'fun', then." Kairi was certain Sora would have similar feelings to Namine, but Sora always took everything in stride. "So, what do you think it does?" Namine was still rolling the thing around, idly fiddling with it, eyes peered in concentration.

Finally, Namine extended her left arm out as far as it could, just in case, before depressing the power button with her thumb

"Only one way to find out."

A small, synthetic chime sounded from the speakers, as the device sprung to life from the moment Namine hit power. A blue light flashed from the projector, shooting up into the air a short distance, before manifesting into a holographic screen baring a fancy logo consisting of an infinity symbol and the letters "FCA" blazed across it.

An audio wavelength began to surge across the top of the projection, as the device itself began to speak.

"_**GREETINGS! I AM THE FUTORACLE, AN A.I.-DRIVEN DIGITAL ARCHIVE COMISSIONED AND CONSTRUCTED BY THE FUTURE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE. **_

"_**I HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO THIS TIME TO PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATION TO THE KEY BEARERS. **_

"_**MY DATABASE CONTAINS INFORMATION AND LOGISTICS ON ALL ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT MEMBER TIMELINES OF THE ALLIANCE, AS WELL AS THE OTHER SIX-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE TIMELINES THAT HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BUT NOT FORMALLY INDUCTED.**_

"_**UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS EVENING, I AM AT YOUR SERVICE, SO DO NOT HESITATE TO USE ME TO THE FULLEST!"**_

It took a moment for all the information to fully sink in to the two young women, as the computer waited for further instructions or use. For Namine, it was a little bewildering to hear how large the Alliance had grown. She vaguely recalled Alton – Kairi and Roxas's future, hypothetical son – mention to Riku that there was around thirty-something futures linked to this group, but... one-hundred and twenty-eight? It had only been six months since the second Incident, had they really ballooned that much that shortly?

Then, the ex-Nobody remembered exactly what and who she was dealing with. It was time travel. The Futoracle could have been sent from a point in time ten years after she had met Teysa and the others.

Kairi, meanwhile, had taken a bit more of an analytical approach to the situation. What exactly was the point of all this? Sure, Riku had (repeatedly) threaten the collective of future children with bodily harm (and more) if they were ever to travel to the past, again. This certainly circumvented that. Not to mention this was less embarrassing than having a stranger appear out of thin air and inform you they were your child and you were married to someone in the future you had never even previously considered as a romantic partner...

"Okay, okay," Kairi said aloud, making the transition from thought to speech, "But what did you mean by 'provide entertainment and information'?" It felt a little weird to be addressing a computer smaller than her fist, but she could push pass that awkwardness. "I mean, you can't just be freely offering us information about the future. Can you?"

"_**CORRECT! WHILE MY SYSTEMS INCLUDE AN ARCHIVE CONTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT THE VARIOUS FUTURES AND ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM, BUT THOSE FILES WILL BE INACCESSIBLE FOR THE DURATION OF MY STAY."**_

Namine went to set the tiny computer down on the kitchen countertop, tired of holding it at arm's length. "Well, what functions do you have that we can access?"

"_**IN FACT, I HAVE SEVERAL FUNCTIONS AVAILABLE FOR YOU!"**_

Suddenly, various icons began to appear on the holographic display, like app buttons on a smartphone screen.

"_**WHILE MY GENERAL ARCHIVE IS OFF-LIMTITS, I DO POSSESS A DIGITAL JOURNAL CONTAINING ENTRIES WRITTEN BY VARIOUS ALLIANCE MEMBERS, INCLUDING SHORT BIOGRAPHIES FOR EACH FUTURE CHILD.**_

"_**IN ADDITION TO THE JOURNAL, A PHOTO ALBUM HAS BEEN UPLOADED INTO MY RECORDS, CONTAINING PHOTOS FROM THE MOST RECENT MEETING OF THE CHILDREN.**_

"_**IF THAT IS NOT TO YOUR LIKING, MAY I SUGGEST THE SEARCH FUNCTION? WITH THAT, YOU CAN ENTER TWO OR MORE NAMES AND SCAN THE VARIOUS TIMELINES TO SEE IF THAT IS A POTENTIAL MATCH, AS WELL AS HOW MANY TIMELINES CONTAIN THAT MATCH.**_

"_**IN ADDITION, IF YOU WISH FOR A METHOD OF ENTERTAINMENT, MY GAME FOLDER HAS A VARIETY OF -"**_

Quickly, Namine's fingers darted forward, tapping on an icon branded with a magnifying glass. "Search". With one touch, The Futoracle silenced itself, as the screen transition to a blank field, a blinking text cursor being the only visible object, while a holographic keyboard extended outwards, hovering at a diagonal angle beneath the blonde's hands.

Crystal blue eyes examined everything, soaking in whatever information they could gather. Namine's earlier manic energy had given way to focused intent and, what seemed like, sheer steely determination. Kairi noted both, as she watched her sister act.

"When you search... 'pairings', are you limited to only two people? Or can you search more than two?" Namine asked in a quiet, yet firm, voice. As Kairi approached from behind, she nodded her head in understanding. Now she was beginning to piece together what her sister was after.

"_**YOU MAY INPUT AS MANY NAMES AS YOU WISH INTO THE TEXT BOX AS YOU WISH. THOUGH, THE MORE NAMES ENTERED, THE LOWER THE THRESHOLD OF A MATCH. MONOGAMY IS STILL PREFERRED IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF FUTURES!"**_

"You seem awfully absorbed in this thing, Namine." Kairi commented, innocently enough, not trying to spook the blonde. The two sisters were now standing side-by-side – Kairi to Namine's left – with the screens projected by the future computer in plain view to both. "Any specific reasons?"

The memory witch paid the probing questions little mind, fingers hovering tantalizingly over the projected keyboards. She was hesitating, but she clearly had something that she wanted to type into the search engine.

"Well, like I said, I do trust the FCA. And I know those days aren't exactly looked upon fondly between all of us." Namine paused in contemplative thought, as she slowly typed out her name. Next, she typed "Roxas". "But, at the end of the day, I think that experience helped me achieve a new perspective on my relationship with Roxas. And on my feelings for him and Sora. And it gave us all the confidence to do... that."

A third name was entered into the search engine. "Sora".

Namine quickly hammered on the Enter key, before retreating slightly from the terminal, hands clenched up at her sides, a nervous smile quivering on her lips.

"Oh ho! So that's what this is about!" Kairi's arms snaked their way around the blonde's waist, leaning up against and onto the shorter girl. Scarlet began to creep into Namine's face, almost immediately. "You and Roxas conspiring to steal Sora away from me, is that it? One threesome and that's all it takes?"

Even with Kairi's tone being fairly playful and non-serious, Namine still shrank under her sister's taunts and accusations. "Well, no! No, I just, I mean..." Namine's blush deepened, as a shy and fond smile appeared in addition. "We had such a good time together, and we have such good chemistry with each other."

"Sora has chemistry with everyone, he'll be the first to tell you that."

"I just... I was curious, is all."

_**BING!**_

"_**SEARCH COMPLETE!"**_

The jovial, piercing chime and announcement caught the attention of both sisters, their eyes shooting up towards the screen.

"Hey, Nami, I'm just poking fun." Kairi admitted, as they both read the results of the search, gently patting her other on the shoulder. "I know you and Roxas and Sora would never do that to me, but if I took it too far, then I'm sorry."

The results were in.

Clear as day, on the screen, in bold white lettering **"Namine/Roxas/Sora Pairing – 2 Matches Founds"**.

"I know that, Kairi. You don't need to apologize. It's just... even when it's idle fantasy, I still feel guilty thinking about something like that. And even after doing the deed, it's a little awkward to talk to you about it. Sora's your boyfriend for crying out loud! I shouldn't be -"

Below it was a breakdown of the individual pairings that made up the triplicate, and how many matches they had. Namine and Roxas together numbered in the four-hundreds.

"Namine!" Kairi snapped, trying to derail her sister's self-pity train before it even left the station. "You're feelings are not wrong, no matter what. You really need to stop beating yourself up, sis." Kairi knew it wasn't her fault. The first portions of Namine's existence were... unpleasant, in a word. Whatever self-esteem she was born with was systemically crushed by the abuse dolled out by Marluxia, Larxene, and DiZ. Even the strongest person would slip back into a lesser state, having gone through something like that.

Namine was that strongest person.

"My feelings aren't wrong..." Namine repeated in a quite voice, as she deleted Sora's name from the register. "Well, if that's the case..." In the place of "Sora", the blonde entered another four-letter name.

"Lulu".

"You're magic teacher?" Kairi was, in equal parts, surprised, intrigued, and confused. Then she saw that only "Sora" had been deleted. "Wait, another threesome pairing?" The redhead quirked an eyebrow. "Did that night awaken something in you or something?" Namine turned away from the screen – as it's systems went to work – and flashed a playful smirk.

"You're gonna get a kick out of this, Kai. In the build-up to my night with Sora and Roxas, my nerves got the best of me, so I asked Lulu for some advice and, uh, she sort of misconstrued my request." The search completed itself with another audible ring, but Kairi was wholly invested in her sister's story "She thought Roxas and I wanted to have a threesome with her." That caused Kairi to burst out with a shout of incredulous laughter. Namine returned it with a light, breezy giggle of her own. Briefly, she wondered why it was she could so easily recall this story, but still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she brought up her feelings for Sora.

"Yeah, yeah, hand to god, that happened." Namine continued. "She was a little take aback at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea, and then... "

"No! You two and Lulu?"

"A little while after our threesome with Sora, too. I mean, there was no way I would say no to her, regardless! Lulu's so beautiful and intelligent and she seems very cold and intimidating on the outside, but she's very gentle and supportive when you get to know her. And I think she's quite taken with the two of us, too. She said 'Anytime you want to try this again, I'm open to it'."

Only then did Namine check the screen, seeing that the odd pairing of the two ex-Nobodies and the gorgeous Black Mage did produce a match in one future. Once more, the delineation of the threesome was broken down at the bottom, revealing that Lulu was compatible with Namine and Roxas on their own, too. Not all that surprising, all things considered.

"So... you gonna share any spice deets?" Kairi asked, mimicking Namine's impish smirk. The blonde did not look amused, as she crossed her arms and her mouth shrank. "Ah, come on Nam! I opened up about all the escapades Sora and I have been on, you owe me!"

After a long pause, Namine said, "One question, Kai. Just one."

"...Did she have any piercings?"

"A stud in her tongue. Rings in her nipples."

Kairi nodded along in understanding, trying her best not to specifically picture it in her head. Of course, the redheaded Key Bearer wasn't wholly satisfied with just "one question" and she would do her best to wriggle out more information from her sister at a later time and date.

"Well, my curiosity has been satisfied. For now." Namine stepped aside from the holographic terminal and gestured to her sister. "Your turn, Kai. Fire away." This drew a raised eyebrow from the redhead.

"What are you talking about, Namine?" She returned, eyeing The Futoracle. Namine had even cleared the search browser. "I've had my fill of future shenanigans. There's nothing I want to know."

"Is that so?" Kairi nodded and crossed her arms, to which Namine responded with a small but mischievous cat smile. "There's nothing about any of our futures you could possibly want to know? Seven-hundred and seventy-nine possible timelines and all their information at our fingertips and you're not the least bit curious?"

Kairi shook her head, but wore a very slight grimace as her sister went on and on, as if she could sense where this was going.

"Not even about a certain specific poly-amorous relationship you might have?"

The grimace turned into a full-on, teeth-baring scowl, as Kairi's skin lit up a bright, burning scarlet. "That... that's just an idle fantasy. It's not real. No way of it becoming a reality." She protested, turning away from both Namine and the futuristic computer. Kairi supposed she deserved this for poking fun at Namine earlier, but still, it was bothersome. Raw. A tender and vulnerable part of her.

Namine however, would not be denied, as she slipped around behind the redhead and stood to her left. "Well, there's one way to find out for sure, Kai. One way to put it to rest forever." She teased, while also trying to physically push Kairi towards the computer. "Trying" being the opportune word, as Namine failed to budge the bigger and taller girl.

However, the blonde's playful ribbing at the desired effect, as Kairi did (reluctantly) move to The Futoracle. "Fine, fine, fine. Whatever! Doesn't matter anyways, I'll input the three names and nothing will happen!" Kairi huffed and then heavily hammered at the weightless keys, as Namine clapped in triumph.

Like any normal nineteen year-old person, Kairi had affections of varying levels for many people, but there were clearly two people she deeply loved. One was Sora, obviously, her current boyfriend and the light of her life. The one boy who had chased her to the edge of all worlds, an act which she had reciprocated, time and time again. But her other love, was a more clandestine one, but no less intense. Kairi had not confessed these feelings yet, and only a select few people had her confidence of this fact, but Kairi had strong romantic feelings for Aqua, the skilled Keyblade Master, Kairi's current teacher and Master, and the current houseguest of the Shiratori's.

And ever since Kairi was informed of the Second Future Children Incident – specifically told that Riku had a future where he was equally involved with two women – a thought had formed in Kairi's head, one which she could not rid herself of, no matter what. Would it be possible for a romantic relationship to form between herself Sora and Aqua? Together, in sync and harmony with one another?

Kairi was convinced there was no way. It was just a harmless fantasy she had cooked-up. There was certainly no possible way something could come to fruition. Riku only had a potential relationship like that because it was Riku, and abnormality was the essence of his life and experiences.

_Time to put this to rest, once and for all._ Kairi entered all three names and fired up the search function, waiting for the results to come in. From Kairi's perspective, Namine seemed more excited to find out than she was.

Eventually, the search completed, forming a screen identical to the two before it: the result of the main search at the top, with the breakdown of the possible dual pairings below it.

"**Kairi/Sora/Aqua Pairing – 3 Matches Found"**

"**Kairi/Sora Pairing – 531 Matches Found"**

"**Kairi/Aqua Pairing – 54 Matches Found"**

"**Sora/Aqua Pairing – 16 Matches Found"**

"Holy shit...!" Namine said it best, as both young women stood wide-eyed and flatfooted. "You guys have more matches than me and Roxie with Sora or Lulu! And over seventy-five percent of your matches are with Sora or Aqua! That's crazy, Kai!"

_You're telling me..._ Kairi thought, barely reacting to Namine's words. She was still trying to process the information in front of her. All these futures with her and Sora? Not too surprising, but still seeing the actual numbers written out plainly like that was still a shock. Her and Aqua, however, in any capacity? Simply absurd! In all the time she had known the elder Keyblade Master, she had never expressed any sort of interest in romance whatsoever. Never commented on men or women, never been on a single date or anything that could be construed as a date. Hell, there were times Kairi thought Aqua might be asexual.

"This.. this has to be a mistake!" Kairi blurted out, finally, so suddenly that Namine leaped in start. "There's no way something like this could come true." She then added in a sotto voice, "No matter how much I may want it to..."

"_**ALL INFORMATION I POSSESS PERTAINING TO THE FUTURES IS ALWAYS ACCURATE, WITHOUT FAIL.**_

"_**IF YOU WISH TO SEE FURTHER PROOF, WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR POTENTIAL FUTURE CHILDREN WITH THESE PARTNERS?"**_

"Yes! No! Maybe!? No!"

Kairi brushed her hair back and whined. Why did this sort of stuff always have this effect on her? In the days leading up to her finally telling Sora her feelings, she felt the same kind of nervousness and skittish energy surging through her body. Why was she having a sequel with her feelings with Aqua? Especially since she was consigned to the fact that this would not come to fruition.

"What's with all the yelling, you two? It's like being back with Terra and Ven, I leave for two hours and miss all the excitement."

Entering the kitchen from behind the Shiratori sisters was said Keyblade Master, fresh from her morning run, taking a deep drink from a water bottle. Still clad in her athletic gear, and with her sapphire blue hair and the totality of her body drenched in sweat, Kairi could feel her heart skip a beat when she caught sight of her Master, though she chalked that up to the suddenness of her appearance, and her rotten timing.

"Ah! Master! You're... back." Kairi said, feebly, while turning around, covering the projected screen of The Futoracle with her back.

Aqua seemed bemused by the reaction, but didn't probe further. "Well, yes, Kairi. Where else would I go?" Kairi chuckled nervously, trying to diffuse the situation, but the bright blue lights emitted from the future computer still caught Aqua's eye. "What is that behind you?"

"Oh? This? It's uh.. it's uh... some new kind of tech thingy. You know? Very high-tech and complicated. I barely get it, so you'd be, like, totally out of you're depth, Master."

Kairi babbled on, hoping that her story would land and that Aqua's tech-illiteracy would dissuade any further investigate. During this, Kairi blindly slammed her hands on the keyboard behind her back, desperately hoping this would remove the information on the screen. She absolutely could not let Aqua see those search results. And she definitely absolutely positively could not let Aqua know she had actively fished for those results.

Aqua did not seem to buy the story, eyes still set on the screen, as she approached. Fortunately, Kairi had a sister to come to her rescue.

"After you left this morning, we received a package. From the Future Children's Alliance." Namine explained, clearly and succinctly. Quick enough to distract Aqua, but not too fast as to arouse more suspicion. "It's an A.I.-powered digital archive with information on all the possible futures linked to the FCA." With that, the blonde tugged on Kairi's arm, signaling for her to stand aside. Smiling awkwardly, she did just that, revealing the holographic terminal to Aqua, though, thankfully, Kairi's frantic key smashing had done the trick and (somehow) reset the computer back to it's home screen.

"Right, right. The Future Children Incidents." Aqua muttered, holding a finger up to her chin. "You know I do find it strange that, despite all of them being the children of Key Bearers, I was never roped in to either of them."

"Consider yourself lucky, Master." Kairi said with a casual chuckle. While Aqua had been informed of what had happened both times, there were some pieces of the two days that she had not been privy to. Namely, Kairi made sure not to mention her encounter with Cascadia, the future daughter of the red and blue Keyblade Wielders. Just the idea of telling her sent Kairi to the edge of cardiac arrest.

Aqua returned Kairi's laughter with a graceful smile "If you say, so. I may not be much of a romantic, but I can't help but wonder what it would have been like being involved in such an event. Children of mine or no." The blue-haired woman gave a quick parse of the Futoracle, and even quickly decided that it certainly was way beyond her capacity. "Found anything interesting yet?"

Namine shook her head. "We've just been tooling around with it. The problem is, we only have it until midnight before it returns to it's time, so we'll have to figure something fun to do with it before then." Aqua absorbed the information again, while taking another sip of her water.

"I see, I see..." She said after finishing the drink. "Well, I'll leave the two of you to it, then. I'm going to do a few laps in the pool before showering." Aqua began to make her way to the bathroom, no doubt to change into her swimsuit. "Call me if you find anything of note, okay?"

With Aqua's departure, Namine turned to face her sister, silently gesturing back to the future computer, expectation and curiosity once more sparkling her eyes.

Conversely, the light within Kairi's eyes had gone dull and flat, as the redhead held her nose up at the muted offer.

"Sorry, Nam. But I'm out. One peek into the future was more than enough for me." She then turned on her heel and retreated to the sanctity of her bedroom. It seemed like a good time to get a bit of reading done, and then maybe start on lunch in a little bit...

"Oh, well." Namine said with a shrug and sigh. "Guess it's just you and me for the time being, Mr. Futoracle."

For about the next hour, Namine familiarized herself with the functions and settings of the little digital archive, while Aqua and Kairi went about their days. Every now and again, while Kairi was busy prepping lunch in the kitchen, Namine would catch her sister staring out the window. Out the window and into the backyard, where Aqua was currently swimming repeated laps in the pool. She was too easy to read and predict sometimes...

Namine continued to browse through the Futoracle, aimless and without much of a goal. The journal or archives didn't hold much interest for her, as of now, and she had briefly perused the photo album, with a plan to look through it more thoroughly later, but her quest sent her looking for something more. They would only have possession of this thing for one night, so they had to do something with it. Maybe, hopefully drag a couple of the guys over, too. It had been far too long since the six of Kairi, Namine, Aqua, Sora, Roxas, and Riku had all gathered together. Even if it was summertime, they were no longer teenagers, but young adults on the precipice of the majority of their lives. After taking a year off to do whatever they so desired, Namine and Roxas would both be attending university in only a few weeks time. Sora would be starting culinary school in the new year. Kairi had begun private lesson on Radiant Garden, in order to learn the history of the world and it's peoples, in order to prepare herself for the rigors of assuming the crown of her kingdom. Aqua was still scouring the universe for a way to revive her friends, Terra and Ventus. And Riku, well, he was the one with the least direction, as of now, simply wandering the worlds at his leisure, fulfilling his childhood dream.

That was all a part of growing up, Namine knew; even the closest of friends would diverge in paths as they grew older, but it was still sad. Her and Roxas and Aqua had only been around for a short while, it almost felt cruel for it all to move apart so soon. So, just one night of jubilee and carefree fun, that's all Namine was angling for. One summer night the six Key Bearers could come together and just let loose.

And, thankfully, the Futoracle would provide exactly that for the memory witch.

Namine scrolled all the way back to the home page, scanning the various application icons, looking for some manner of inspiration to strike her.

_Journal. Photo Album. Search. All done those. Fun, but not really what I was looking for._

_Archives is locked to us. Ignored._

Namine thumbed through more and more of them, growing the teensy bit frustrated over it.

Then, in that moment of grievance, she remembered something the Futoracle had said earlier in the day.

Namine opened up the "Games" folder, and found exactly what she was searching for.

"Kairi. Kairi!" Namine called out through the house, to catch her sister's attention. When the redhead responded, popping her head in to view Namine said, practically ordering her, "Call the boys. Get them over. We're doing something. Tonight."


	2. Good Luck, Have Fun

_**Hey, you! Yeah, you.**_

_**Do you like "Futureship"? Do you like all the crazy Future Children OCs?**_

_**I do really enjoy this series, and would love to continue this – I do already have preliminary plans for the fourth and fifth stories – but I need a bit of help. Coming up with all these Future Children can take a bit of effort and creativity, and while I enjoy testing myself, I would love to see what other people have in mind**_

_**So, to that end, what would you say if I told you you could make your own Future Child OC and have them featured in a future Futureship story?**_

_**If that sounds interesting to you and you would like to participate, then please leave your suggestions and ideas in a review, comment, or PM. All credit deserved will be given to the creator, of course, but your OC can be featured in a future story.**_

_**All I need from you is the following info:  
**_

_**-Their name**_

_**-The child's parents (At least one of which must be either Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, or Riku)**_

_**-A brief description of their personality**_

_**-A brief description of their appearance**_

_**-Their Keyblade (at least a name, if not also a physical description, and at least one Form Change)**_

_**Any other information you provide beyond that is entirely up to you, but would be welcomed.**_

_**But, just be aware, any pairings involving characters from Union Chi and Xion will not be permitted, as those characters are not present in this setting. And any pairings involving most Organization members will also likely be dismissed. Just a fair warning.**_

_**But beyond that, ship to your heart's content! Pull from the vast breadth of Disney and Square properties. If you want to ship something stayed and normal like Sora and Kairi or Namine and Roxas, go for it! If you want to ship something out there and crazy like Riku with Wendy Corduroy, or Namine with Gladio, then do so! Go nuts and have fun!**_

_**Either way, whether you wish to participate or not, please have fun, and enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

**Good Luck, Have Fun**

"Hello party people! The Kido brothers are in the house!"

Sora's boisterous declaration was utterly unnecessary, as both he and Roxas ushered themselves into the home of their girlfriends. But, Sora couldn't help but be in a jubilant mood, it was a party after all! Kairi had called in the middle of the afternoon, informing them of this last-minute, spur of the moment party for the four of them, plus Riku and Aqua. Beyond who was attending and when to show up (just after eight PM, the tropical islands they all called home drenched in a beautiful summer twilight), Kairi was light on the details, claiming Namine had a surprise in store, but it was more than enough to get the brunet into a festive spirit.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Namine greeted them at the point where the atrium transitioned to the living room, before rushing up to meet her boyfriend in a more personal manner. "I'm really looking forward to tonight." The bespectacled blonde said after delivering a quick kiss to Roxas, the two holding on to one another at their partner's waist.

"No worries, Nam." Sora verbalized his brother's silent remarks. "We didn't have a whole lot going on tonight anyway. The soccer game was a total bust – the Dolphins got screwed on bad calls – and I was just thinking of popping into a group chat or talking with Kai online. Maybe play a video game..." Sora's voice trailed off as he wandered into the kitchen, still chatting up a storm, but leaving the two ex-Nobodies to themselves.

"So, guess what, hun?" Roxas asked with a content, satisfied smile. Namine's only response was to curiously cock her head upwards. "Well, you know that one apartment we had our eye on? The one in the heart of downtown Twilight Town, right next to the train station? Perfect for us going to school...? Well, guess who just got the email saying we got it?"

"No! That's unbelievable!" Both Namine and Roxas had enrolled at Twilight Town Polytechnic University; Namine because they offered a very robust and diverse art program, and Roxas... well, mostly because he wanted to be close to his girlfriend, but also there were enough programs and classes offered there that interested him – kinesiology, criminal psychology, even a couple of trade classes.

And, in anticipation of their schooling, the two had gone looking for suitable living space in the sleepy, sun-draped town. Their first choice was a quaint little apartment complex right near the downtown core of the burgh, with easy access to public transit lines that lead right to campus. It was perfect, if a little pricey and in high-demand, but now that it was theirs – a little slice of the world that belonged just to Roxas and Namine and no one else – well, the blonde witch was over the moon.

"Yep, yep!" Namine led Roxas further into the house as he spoke, a brilliant smile cresting the young man's face. "The landlord said we should come by on Monday to do one last check of things. Then, we can sign the lease agreement and it will be all ours!" Roxas himself moved with a light-footed easy. The concept of living with his girlfriend was a little intimidating, he had to admit, but also sounded like a dream come true. The good outweighed the bad in his mind and, at any rate, he couldn't wait for September to come.

As they entered the kitchen, they found Kairi hard at work mixing a massive pitcher of some kind of dark red liquid, while Sora were chatting with each other over the kitchen table, the brunet removing multiple bottles of liquor from a paper shopping bag.

"...But no, it was a nice diversion. And seeing Cinderella is always a treat." Aqua was clearly in the midst of finishing a story from one of her recent trips around the Realm of Light. "She was one of the first people outside of Terra and Ven I ever met, and, well, I'm a little surprised she still remembers me after all these years." As she spoke, the blue-haired Keyblade Master had a soft smile plastered on her face. Most likely reminiscing over fond memories.

"That's good to hear! And of course Cinderella would remember you, Aqua. You're an amazing person! I bet it would take a lot for anyone to forget you." Sora returned, breezily, while setting up for whatever sort cocktail concoction he was planning on imbibing. Knowing Sora, most likely something sweet enough to completely bleach out the taste of the alcohol.

Aqua only chuckled and shook her head in the face of Sora's praise. "No, no. I'm nothing special to her. I just happened to show up at the right time for her."

The two Key Bearers continued their back and forth for a bit, as Roxas and Namine discussed their future plans in hushed, happy tones, with Kairi observing both conversations while still working in the kitchen. Seeing Sora and Aqua – two of her best friends, her boyfriend and her Master, her former crush and her current crush – get along so well always made Kairi's heart swell. Of course, Sora was so charismatic and charming. He was likable and lovable; a ray of pure sunshine. Possessed a magnetic personality. All that and more. You could probably drop the young man in any place and in any time and, within five minutes, he would have made an unbreakable, lifelong bond with at least one person around him. But Aqua, well... it wasn't that she was unfriendly, but she could be so conservative and restrained around others, it was always so refreshing seeing the blue-haired woman open up and relax.

Then again, now that Kairi thought on it, Aqua was almost always like this with Sora. With and Sora and with her, moreso than anyone else in fact.

Without warning, the shadowy mass of a Corridor of Darkness flared into existence right in the middle of the kitchen.

In the past, this would be the cause for great alarm, but by now, everyone was largely numb to the sudden formation of Riku's preferred method of interplanetary travel.

"Alright, alright, you dragged me all the way out here." The silver-haired man said, as he stepped out of the inky black mass, carrying a rather large cooler with him. Riku was always one to take advantage of the various superpowers being a Key Bearer provided, even in mundane life. "This better be worth it, is all I'm gonna say."

Everyone quickly exchanged pleasantries with the entry of the final entry of their group, Namine in particular jumping in to animatedly tell her best friend of the news regarding her and Roxas's apartment.

"Well, congratulations to both of you then. And, just because of the good news, Roxas, I won't charge you for any of my beer you drink tonight."

Roxas rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh, how generous of you. You're a real saint, Riku."

"Still, can't believe the two of you are going to end up shacking up before Sora and Kairi. Who saw that one coming?" Riku said, to no one in particular. His eyes quickly darted about the room – Namine and Roxas still chatting, Sora and Aqua still chatting, Kairi still working on whatever drink was in that massive glass pitcher – and it certainly didn't look like a party. Then again, Riku had no idea what exactly any of them were doing here. Kairi had been scarce of the details, just insistent he had to be here tonight.

"So, what are we doing exactly?" He finally asked. That seemed to be the magic words to move things forward, as Namine hopped in place, before jumping into her role as hostess.

"Right, sorry Riku, we've just been kind of waiting for you to show up." The bespectacled blonde explained. But everyone had expected Riku to arrive last, seeing as how he was the only one who lived off-world from the Islands. "We'll be out on the veranda tonight, and we'll get started as soon as Kai is done in the kitchen."

Namine motioned out to the abundantly-spaced and well furnished deck beyond the glass doors, overlooking the rest of their backyard. She then ushered everyone save her sister towards the outdoors, a childlike giddiness to her step now that everyone was finally assembled.

Roxas and Aqua both followed without much cause, as Riku lagged behind carrying his bulky cooler, while Sora was still mixing a drink for himself.

And that was where Riku found issue.

"Sora... are you putting vanilla liqueur in a rum and coke?" Riku said, slowly and flatly, as his eyes narrowed at (what he considered to be) alcoholic heresy.

"Yep!" Came Sora's cheerful reply, unaware of Riku's growing dismay. "Galliano and dark rum and cola! It's a Smooth Sailor." The brunet presented his final work towards his friend. Riku reared back and hissed, like a vampire presented with a crucifix. "Taste just like vanilla coke, can't even taste the booze."

While Sora took a sip of the drink, Riku felt his right eye twitch, as his lips curled in disgust, as if the world and everything sane in it was slowly slipping away from him. It may seem like such a small, minor offense for some, but Riku had been drinking ever since he assumed the form of Xehanort's Heartless, and drinking was something he took very _very_ seriously.

"Sora..." Riku finally managed to hiss out after a brief moment of angry contemplation. He seethed, snorting, exhaling the anger and trying to find his center. Or thinking about the guava-flavoured gose he had stashed in the cooler. That would restore the natural order. "You, me, and Rox are going to have to do a pub crawl sooner than later, to teach you how to actually drink."

Sora seemed highly receptive to the idea, as Roxas called out from the edge of the house. "I'm down with that. Where you thinking? Here? The Garden? Twilight Town?" The silver-haired Key Bearer and connoisseur of alcohol shook his head.

"Nah, too small. We're doing an interplanetary pub crawl. I know all the hot spots in the Realm of Light. Those guys in the Snuggly Duckling Gang know how to party."

Everyone poured out onto the Shiratori's sundeck, the sun low in the sky to the west, with the lovely gentle island breeze wafting over the patio. Two small glass tables were already set up with a bevy of snacks and treats to be picked at throughout the night. It was a perfect night, not too hot or too cool. Absolute Goldilocks. The perfect night to hang out with friends, share some drinks, and shoot the shit. A summer night almost designed to while the time away and just enjoy whatever it was one had in their life.

Almost immediately upon Riku coming onto the veranda, he deposited the contained in the corner of the, before cracking it open, like a treasure chest, exposing it's bounty to the world: a primo supply of beer and ale carefully cultivated from around the worlds... though, Riku had gotten the vast majority of them from Radiant Garden and from the Islands.

Both Riku and Roxas quickly began to pour over the icy contents of Riku's chest, humming and hawing as to what to crack open first, and who would get what first. Both young men had taken the deep dive into the world of craft beer, and actually found a hobby that they both agreed upon and a topic could act civil towards each other for longer than a ten minute span.

Most of the time. It was still Riku and Roxas; it was still like trying to get a silver-furred dog to get along with a blond tawny cat.

"Sometimes I wish you had the same fervor for your duties as a Key Bearer that you show for beer, Riku." Aqua commented, having taken a seat on a padded chair, the furthest to the right. Two outdoor couches and two padded chairs were set up in a loose semicircle, obviously designed in mind to facilitate both couples and the two single people in attendance. "Besides, a Keyblade Master shouldn't so readily indulge themselves in mind-altering substances like alcohol."

Riku sneered back, detecting just a hint of snobbishness to the blue-haired woman's voice. "Yeah, well, I'm no Master, and this isn't your generation of Bearers. It's a new day with new rules." The darkness-wielder cracked open his drink, most likely having selected something so bitter and hoppy no one but him could possibly stomach it.

"I mean, it's okay Aqua, a few drinks isn't going to hurt us." Sora broke in, diplomatically. "Also, hey, it's a party and we're all responsible enough. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

"With Riku, there isn't such a thing as a 'few drinks'." Came Aqua's reply. It was true, too. Riku had taken a deep dive into the wide, wide world of craft beer and various other assorted alcoholic beverages – hell, he took the plunge before he even turned legal.

Also, it turned out having your entire body infused with pure, brilliant darkness, such as the kind Riku possessed, gave you a wicked level of tolerance. Who knew?

Aqua continued to speak, noting to herself with a pensive expression plastered to her face. "Though, I suppose I should be grateful Riku is the only one who goes deep into this stuff. You never see Kairi indulge herself, either..."

Aqua sounded quite proud of her student with that comment, quite proud considering her choices in life. But then, as if on cue...

"I made sangria!" Kairi came bursting out of the house, finally joining everyone on the deck, carrying with her a platter full of glasses and the same pitcher full of dark red liquid from earlier. The redhead beamed and bounced about, working her way through the throng of seats to serve her guests, while Aqua subtly went to cover her face with one hand, as if to wash the egg that had been placed there.

Kairi quickly poured a glass for herself and Namine. "Anyone else want some?" Sora raised a hand, but elsewhere Kairi only earned a scoff from Riku.

"Hard pass. Sangria is for hicks and middle-aged women on vacation." Said Riku, taking a sip on his beer to emphasize the point.

"Well, sorry to offend your refined sensibilities, Riku." Kairi sassed back, laying on as much playful mockery in her voice as it could hold. "Honestly, you can such a hipster."

"You're just threatened because I'm honest with my opinions."

As the two longtime friends continued their longtime bickering and bantering, Namine turned to Roxas and asked, "You'll have some, won't you, Roxas?" Turning the charm offensive to maximum, the blonde sidled up next to her boyfriend, pressing her body up against his, looking up at Roxas with blue, soulful eyes locked in the biggest, most heartwarming puppydog look she could manage.

Roxas, who really didn't have much interest in what Kairi had made, tried to play if off as cool and kind as he could be, turning away from Namine's imploring gaze and trying to stammer out a reply. Namine took hold of his arm, causing him to make eye contact yet again. Eye contact with those impossibly wondrous eyes; baby-blues that pierced into his soul and twisted him about.

"Kairi and I worked really hard on it. We even soaked all the fruit in the brandy for hours. It would mean a lot to me if you had some." Namine batted her eyes, but, for a brief moment, the sweet, angelic ingenue disposition she had placed on herself faltered. A devious smirk was present for only a brief second, but it was there. She had poured on the act thick and heavy, and almost perfect.

Of course, even if she was wholly serious, there was no way Roxas could ever say no to his girlfriend when she looked like that.

"Yeah. Of course, I'll have some." Roxas relented, chuckling to himself over just how much the witch did to twist his arm. As Namine poured him the glass, Roxas could see a nasty little grin cross Riku's lips. He returned the gestured, the two rivals silently taunting one another.

"I would like some as well." Came Aqua, much to the surprise of the others.

Riku ceased his wordless spat and challenge with Roxas to cast a mocking look Aqua's way. "Oh? And what happened to Keyblade Masters not indulging in alcohol?"

"As you said, it's a new day with new rules." Was Aqua's gracious reply, said with shut eyes, as if to block out all of Riku's commentary. "And, also, tonight is just about the six of us enjoying ourselves. I can set aside my title and my duties for a few hours in the name of that." Aqua offered her glass to Kairi. "But, please, just half a glass."

Kairi filled the container to the very brim. Aqua's lips pressed into a hard line, but said nothing, as Kairi took her seat next to Sora.

"Alright, sorry for the delay everyone, but we can finally begin." Kairi declared, huddling up with Sora, the brunet throwing an arm around her waist. The redhead nodded to her sister, giving the signal.

"Yeah, I think we're dying to know what it is we're doing tonight." Roxas said, speaking for himself and the other boys. Namine slipped away from their shared chair, standing up and moving towards the end of the veranda, fishing something out of the pockets of her shorts.

"Well, I thought about the best way to broach the subject, but..." Namine held up the Futoracle, not that any of the boy had any idea what the small white object was. She placed it down on one of the tables, quickly tapping the power button. "I think he can explain it all the best."

Before anyone could get a word in edgewise, a burst of blue light shot out from the Futoracle, forming the projected screen.

The moment the "FCA" logo appeared on the screen, both Roxas and Riku shifted about in their seats, knowing exactly what this meant and (possibly knowing) what as coming.

"_**GREETINGS! I AM THE FUTORACLE, AN A.I.-DRIVEN DIGITAL ARCHIVE COMISSIONED AND CONSTRUCTED BY THE FUTURE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE. **_

"_**I HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO THIS TIME TO PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATION TO THE KEY BEARERS. **_

"_**MY DATABASE CONTAINS INFORMATION AND LOGISTICS ON ALL ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT MEMBER TIMELINES OF THE ALLIANCE, AS WELL AS THE OTHER SIX-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE TIMELINES THAT HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BUT NOT FORMALLY INDUCTED.**_

"_**UNTIL MIDNIGHT THIS EVENING, I AM AT YOUR SERVICE, SO DO NOT HESITATE TO USE ME TO THE FULLEST!"**_

The girls knew what to expect. The boys did not.

Sora looked intrigued and excited, an all too common expression for the adventurous young man. He probably took the Future Children Incidents better than the others, and was the best at adapting to the strange and the bizarre. It came with experience.

Roxas was much more inscrutable. While there was a noticeable hitch in his breathing during the computer's speech, he otherwise didn't show any outward emotion, positive or negative. Most likely because this was all Namine's idea, and Roxas nothing if not loyal and trusting towards his beloved.

Riku, however, was as open as his feelings as Sora was, but expressed the exact opposite sentiment. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed, as his fingers clutched at the fabric of the chair. Riku was easily the one who took this stuff the worse, not to mention having been involved in both Incidents, and it seemed he didn't want to even by tangentially involved in anymore future shenanigan.

"Nope. Nope! I am out!" Riku stood up from his chair in protest. "I am not sitting through another one of these." Kairi swiftly made an attempt to reign her friend in, but was just as quickly cut off. "No, Kairi. This isn't happening! You guys can do whatever you want, but I will have no part in this." The silver-haired man made his way to exit the sundeck, despite a chorus of pleas from his friends.

"Riku, please." Namine's voice rose above the rabble, actually causing Riku to pause. Probably because it was Namine specifically calling out to him. "I know you weren't too keen on living throw both of those days, but this will be different. No future children, I promise, just the six of us having fun. Nothing more."

Riku's retreat came to a halt, but he still seemed largely reluctant over this whole exercise, arms crossed over her chest and glaring suspiciously at the Futoracle.

"...Name me one good thing that came out of running into these future annoyances."

Namine didn't even need a second to answer Riku's demand.

"Roxas and I grew a lot closer together and are relationship is a lot healthier, more honest and open, because of the Second Incident. Not to mention Roxas became more in touch with himself and his sexuality."

"I said to name a 'good thing', Nam." Riku replied, snidely. "The little tryst between the two of you and Sora doesn't count."

Kairi jumped up in start at that – just her and not the actual people involved in said tryst. Riku _knew_!? Of course Riku knew... Riku had the intuition of a bloodhound. He could sniff anything out. Still, Kairi wasn't necessarily ready for episodes like that to be aired in public. All the same...

The redhead cast a look over to the Aqua, to read her reaction. Her Master looked surprised and intrigued by what Riku had said, but did or said nothing herself.

"Oh, just let him be, Nam." Came Roxas, lounging in his chair, not even bothering to look back at Riku. "He's just sore he spent a whole month in Crystallum and didn't come across either of those two women..."

"Shut up, Roxas!" Riku snapped, anger rising in both his face and body language. It was true he had taken a vacation to Crystallum after his encounter with Hiryu and Milla – children of his from a poly-amorous relationship – but it wasn't just to look for Fang and Vanille. He had other reasons, too. And it wasn't a month, it was only twenty-six days.

Roxas only continued to needle. He knew how his rival operated. A little taunting and some barbs and his pride and ego would force him to participate. "Not to mention he's probably worried he'll have another moment where he realizes he could have a relationship with a female Sora..."

Aqua blinked in start. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Aqua wasn't privy to all the details of the two Incidents, just what everyone had told her. Riku and a "female Sora"... she had never heard anything about that.

"Don't start on that shit, either!" Riku fired back. Roxas only smirked to himself. This was all too easy sometimes; Riku tried to act all cool, but it was very easy to get under his skin and irk him if you knew what you were doing.

Namine ignored the continued spat between her boyfriend and best friend, and continued on with her more diplomatic approach. "All we're going to do tonight is play a little trivia game with the Futoracle. Like I said, no Future Children, just us playing a game. After all, when was the last time a bunch of us got together and did something like that?"

Riku's anger abetted, as her furrowed his brow and reminisced. "There was that _Mario Party_ game a few months ago, where I caught Roxas screen-looking, and you used King Boo to steal a Star from Sora, and he got really upset about it..."

"Uh, she stole two Stars from me, okay? Two. Huge betrayal of trust." Sora retorted, as if the information was of critical importance.

"And then, I dunno... we did trivia night at Fighting Spirits on the Garden, but that was for your nineteenth, Nam..."

Namine looked as if her point was made. "See! It's been a while. And with everything going on in life, all the changes, me and Roxy going to school next month and all that, I thought it would be nice if we could have one last night together where we can just goof-off and have fun. Who knows when we'll get a chance like this?" Now, it was Riku's turn to be assaulted by Namine's puppydog expression; sparkling blue-eyes targeting him and his conscious.

"Please, Riku? For old time's sake?"

Even though he had just given Roxas grief for crumbling to the stare, Riku's resistance held up no better. He averted his gaze and cursed his friends and the situation, before returning to his seat, Namine pumping her fists in victory.

"Though, before we start, I'll say this..." Riku muttered, in between sips of his drink, "Seriously? 'Future Children's Alliance'? 'Futoracle'? Does all common naming convention and sense just go out the window in the future?"

"It's clearly a portmanteau of 'Future' and 'Oracle'. The name is fine." Said Aqua, who took an exploratory sip of her sangria. Her lips and tongue curled at the taste of the wine and brandy, the Keyblade Master having no palette or tolerance for alcohol.

"It's also not important." Sora dismissed before turning to Namine. "We're doing a trivia game right?" The brunet's competitive spirit was out in full-force. "How? And about what?"

The blonde witch only nodded and winked, as if to say "You'll see". Namine returned back to where Roxas was sitting, placing herself gently upon her beau's lap, before commanding the future computer.

"Futoracle, please start 'Game Night', set for four rounds."

The little device responded by playing a poppy little tune, as if inviting all present to a fun and lively party. Sora actually grooved and danced in his seat while the music played, the screen of the device shifting to a warm, light purple colour.

"_**IN GAME NIGHT, CONTESTANTS WILL PLAY THROUGH VARIOUS GAMES IN A SET NUMBER OF ROUNDS. **_

"_**EACH GAME WILL BE BASED ON TRIVIA REGARDING THE FUTURES HELD WITHIN MY DATABASE AND WILL BE WORTH VARYING AMOUNTS OF POINTS.**_

"_**AT THE END OF THE FINAL ROUND, THE PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF POINTS WILL BE DECLARED THE WINNER AND CHAMPION OF THE FUTURE!**_

"_**Programmer's Note: 'Champion of the Future' is an honourary title and comes with no responsibilities or rewards of any kind. It's all for fun, see!"**_

"...So we're not playing for anything? Just bragging rights?" Sora visibly deflated before everyone's eyes. "That's kind of lame..."

"I agree. Things are more fun when something's on the line." Riku added. Of course the two competition freaks would think that way. The two of them and Kairi had made countless bets and wagers since their childhood.

Fortunately, Namine had come prepared for this eventuality.

"Whoever has the most points for the night will win a favour from me." Namine declared, holding up a finger for effect. "Any one favour, no questions asked."

"Well, what if you win, Nami?" Roxas asked, earning a shrug from the blonde girl.

"Then whoever gets second place wins. It's fine. I'll consider us playing this to be my prize.

"So, any other objections before we start?"

"Can we call him 'Futo' for short?" Sora questioned, motioning to the computer. "'Futoracle' is a bit of a mouthful..."

"_**THIS NICKNAME IS PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE!"**_

Sora seemed pleased with this result and motioned for Namine to begin the proceedings. But, before the revelry and fun could begin, Aqua's hand shot up into the air, stiff and perfectly straight like a spear, a look of fierce determination on the older woman's face. Was she asking a question, or girding herself for battle?

"I have a question." She stated firmly, not waiting for any further permission to speak. "You obviously have not told me everything that has happened during the two Future Children Incidents. And that's fine, I'm not upset about that. It was the five of you and your lives effected by this, you can tell me as much or as little as you want. But... there is one thing I want to know." The steely, determined gaze of the Keyblade Master fell towards Sora. "What did Riku mean when he said you and Roxas and Namine had a 'tryst'." Aqua's sight grew even harder. Angrier. A look that read as if she had been betrayed. Sora had never seen such an extreme expression from her before, it was a little off-putting. "Sora... did you cheat on Kairi?"

Aqua made the accusation with all the seriousness in the world, even though everyone else knew how ridiculous it was. Sora was a massive flirt, for sure, but he was a loving and loyal boyfriend; he would never even consider cheating on Kairi, let alone actually go through with it. It was just something beyond his character.

Still, Aqua's glare was unerring, and time wasn't making it softer. Ridiculous or not, Sora was compelled to answer the question.

"Wha? No, no. Don't be ridiculous, Aqua." Sora said, breezy and casually. Aqua sure seemed to be taking that hypothetical hard, Sora noted, but she was probably just being protective of her friend and protege. "You see what happened was – MMFH!"

Sora's next words were muffled, as Kairi slapped both her hands over his mouth, struggling to keep them clamped on. "Honestly, Master? Asking questions like that? You know Sora would never cheat on me!" Kairi flashed a disarming smile and laughed, nervously, trying to brush by the question and the answer. "It was just a silly thing that happened, no one got hurt or anything, so you don't need to know about that. Let's just... go and play the game! Yeah? Good idea, Kairi! Let's start!"

It wouldn't take a genius to realize Kairi was acting highly suspiciously; preventing Sora from speaking and trying to deflect the question? Acting so nervously in the face of all this? Something was up.

Aqua's expression grew all the more shrewd. "Kairi, I don't know what you're trying to hide, but, please, just tell me. I won't be upset. I just want to know."

Kairi continued to try and deflect and evade her Master's probe, still keeping Sora's mouth tightly sealed (hell, Kairi was practically smothering all of Sora at this point), even in the face of Aqua's gentle coaxing. Roxas looked on with great guilt, but said or did nothing, feeling like it wasn't his place to barge in; Riku only grew more annoyed as he polished off drink one and went to crack open drink number two.

"We had a threesome!" It was left to Namine to cut through it all and reveal the truth. Both Aqua and Kairi immediately stopped talking, attention now turned to the ex-Nobody. "Sora, Roxas, and I... I have very strong romantic feelings for Sora, in addition to Roxas, and it was a deep fantasy of mine..." All these words came spilling out of Namine's mouth, like a runaway locomotive. It was weird yet oddly liberating to say it aloud to others and in a more (slightly) more public place. "So, we all came together and worked out an arrangement, Kairi lending Sora to us for the night. Everyone was in on it, no one cheated on anyone, and it was one and done." Namine sighed. "That's all, Aqua. That's what Riku meant."

Immediately, Kairi released her grip and Sora and turned away, utterly mortified. Again, even if she wasn't one of the parties involved. It was just... Kairi enjoyed her privacy. She didn't like having what she and her lover did broadcasted in public. She especially didn't like it being showcased to her Master, a woman she idolized and loved and didn't want to know just how much of a weird deviant she could be in the bedroom!

_Ugh... this is the worse! The absolute worse! Goodbye, all the respect Master Aqua had for me..._

Said Master looked surprised by Namine's confession, but did not say or do anything immediately, seemingly chewing on every piece of information she had available; carefully selecting what she was going to say next, instead of reacting from the gut.

"Sora, Namine, and Roxas...? Kairi lent Sora out..."

Kairi winced. She hated that expression. "Loaning out Sora". It was if her boyfriend was an object without agency of his own. He was his own person, and all the parties agreed to do this, Sora included. Kairi didn't "loan Sora out"; she and Sora discussed it like mature adults and came to the same conclusion together.

But, rather than voice this comment, Kairi kept quiet and let Aqua continue to process and verbalize this.

"This was... this was consensual... is this something couples normally do?" Aqua was perplexed. Beyond that. She was utterly lost. Romance and sex and everything that came with that... she knew little and less about that world. And she wasn't disgusted or upset or angry or anything else to hear that Sora and Kairi and Roxas and Namine indulged in something like this, but it was still surprising nonetheless. She had always thought of them as such innocent and sweet couples.

_No, that was naive of me. They're young adults. They're in love. They surely get up to all sorts of things in their private lives..._ Aqua cursed herself for her shortsightedness. For being blindsided by this. Hell, for being concerned and flustered by this at all. Why does what Kairi and Sora do matter to her so much?

"Like Namine said, it was to help her." Sora broke into the very awkward pause that had settled onto the group. "To help her work through her feelings regarding me. And, I can't deny how I feel about her either..." Sora also wanted to mention the feelings between him and Roxas, but felt it might be better not to broach that subject just right now.

"Well, hold on there, Sora, let's not leave out all the details." Riku was now the one speaking, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Immediately, Kairi reared up defensively; she knew that look, Riku was up to something underhanded. "We should be honest with our friend here, we owe it to Aqua, at the very least, to tell her the _whole_ story..."

"Riku, I swear..." Kairi hissed out. The grin on Riku's face only grew larger.

"Let me finish my piece, Kai. After all we're all friends here and we should all be honest with each other." Riku then turned to face Aqua, as to address her directly. "You see, Aqua, Sora and Kairi like one another. And so do Roxas and Namine." Aqua crinkled her nose up at the statement.

"Well, yes, Riku. That may have been the most obvious thing you've ever said."

"Oh, but it's so important, as to set the stage for the pseudo-incestuous knot the four of them have created." Riku gestured to Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Namine, who were of varying levels of angry, uncomfortable, and embarrassed at being referred to as such. "See, in addition to that, Sora and Namine like each other, just as much as he likes Kairi and she likes Roxas. Sora and Roxas _also_ like each other in the same way." That was the first comment to take Aqua by surprised. Sure, Sora and Roxas weren't biological brothers – they had done some blood work together, and it revealed they weren't directly related – but they were still as close as brothers, in spirit if not in body. "And I'm also pretty certain Kairi and Roxas feel the same way towards each other, too." Roxas turned away, blushing slightly, all but confirming the truth. "And I have no evidence to support this, except the pattern we've already established, but I wouldn't be shocked if Kairi and Namine shared feelings for each other, too."

Immediately, Namine averted her eyes from her sister, while Kairi squirmed around in her seat, trying to push that thought away.

"This sometimes has lead me to wonder when the hell they're just gonna throw it all to the wind and have a foursome, but other times, I think they'll just say 'fuck it' and start a free love commune! But I digress...

"So, in summation, my dear Aqua, now you know the four of them are just this constant cyclone of lust and hormones and everything else, dragging each other and further down, the knot that I referred to earlier. And the two of us are smart and sane enough to stay out of that knot, to stay away from and not be involved with the people we call brother and sister and friend."

When Riku finished, no one really knew how to react. Everything he said was true, but of course, being Riku, he went about it in the most jerkish way possible. Aqua, once more, went into contemplation mode, weighting what she had seen and learned. Sora, Roxas, and Namine – who were well versed in this "knot" - just wanted everything to move on and forget about all that.

Kairi, however, was downright mortified. She could practically die here and now from having everything aired out before her Master. What other piece of her dirty laundry would come to light next? That the last time she and Sora went to Twilight Town, Sora had dared her to wear a vibe the entire day while he fiddled with the remote like a madman (a dare Kairi won hands down and collected on her reward, emphatically)? Or that she had a couple empty Female Phallus potion bottles buried away in her room somewhere (she really should recycle them, but she could only dispose of them in a few places, it was such a private manner after all)? She just wanted to run away and hide and never have to confront anyone about her habits or desires; to keep her private life exactly that, just between her and Sora and whoever else she deemed worthy of being in the know. But now it was all out in the open! In front of Aqua! Her Master, her teacher, her friend, her first same-sex crush. Aqua probably hated her now. Probably thought she some kind of weird pervert.

Once more, awkward silence fell on the six, as everyone was too afraid and ashamed to do or say anything, with Riku observing the chaos he had inflicted on his friends. He did feel a twinge of regret and guilt; perhaps he had gone too far this time. Then again, if they went ahead with this game, there would certainly be plenty of opportunities for all of them to be embarrassed.

Finally, Aqua broke the silence, once more speak in a slow, deliberate tone.

"I know next to nothing about romance and sex, but... I know Sora and Kairi and the others. I trust them. Care for them. The things that they feel for each other, it's not wrong. Their feelings are not wrong. And I know without a doubt, that they would never act rashly and hurt each other in pursuit of these feelings. They love and trust one another too much to do that."

Aqua's words fell on everyone, and did enough to alleviate the pressure and uncomfortable atmosphere. It gave everyone the perfect segue to move on and try and forget about all of that.

"Let's... start the game, shall we?" Roxas said in an unsteady voice, prompting an electronic _ping_ from the futuristic computer.

"_**BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WILL NEED EACH PLAYER TO STATE THEIR NAME FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES."**_

"Sora Kido!"

"Kairi Shiratori."

"Roxas Kido."

"Namine Shiratori."

"Aqua Minerva."

"...Riku Akiyama."

Everyone braced themselves with bated breath for what came next. But, then again, there was no way things could possibly get more embarrassing and awkward.

"_**ALL PLAYERS IDENTIFIED AND LOGGED IN!**_

"_**WE SHALL BEGIN WITH OUR FIRST ROUND, AND THE GAME WE SHALL PLAY IS: TRUE OR FALSE!"**_

Right?

* * *

_We'll get to the fireworks factory next time, I promise..._


	3. True or False, part 1

_**Hey, you! Yeah, you.**_

_**Do you like "Futureship"? Do you like all the crazy Future Children OCs?**_

_**I do really enjoy this series, and would love to continue this – I do already have preliminary plans for the fourth and fifth stories – but I need a bit of help. Coming up with all these Future Children can take a bit of effort and creativity, and while I enjoy testing myself, I would love to see what other people have in mind**_

_**So, to that end, what would you say if I told you you could make your own Future Child OC and have them featured in a future Futureship story?**_

_**If that sounds interesting to you and you would like to participate, then please leave your suggestions and ideas in a review, comment, or PM. All credit deserved will be given to the creator, of course, but your OC can be featured in a future story.**_

_**All I need from you is the following info:  
**_

_**-Their name**_

_**-The child's parents (At least one of which must be either Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, or Riku)**_

_**-A brief description of their personality**_

_**-A brief description of their appearance**_

_**-Their Keyblade (at least a name, if not also a physical description, and at least one Form Change)**_

_**Any other information you provide beyond that is entirely up to you, but would be welcomed.**_

_**But, just be aware, any pairings involving characters from Union Chi and Xion will not be permitted, as those characters are not present in this setting. And any pairings involving most Organization members will also likely be dismissed. Just a fair warning.**_

_**But beyond that, ship to your heart's content! Pull from the vast breadth of Disney and Square properties. If you want to ship something stayed and normal like Sora and Kairi or Namine and Roxas, go for it! If you want to ship something out there and crazy like Riku with Wendy Corduroy, or Namine with Gladio, then do so! Go nuts and have fun!**_

_**Either way, whether you wish to participate or not, please have fun, and enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

**True or False, part 1**

"_**IN THIS GAME, EACH CONTESTANT WILL TAKE A TURN AND BE ASKED FIVE TRUE OR FALSE QUESTIONS CONCERNING THEIR POTENTIAL FUTURES. THEY MUST THEN TRY TO ANSWER THEM CORRECTLY TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES. CONTESTANTS WILL EARN ONE POINT PER CORRECT ANSWER, FOR A TOTAL OF FIVE POINTS PER PLAYER ON THE BOARD THIS ROUND.**_

_**"ALSO KEEP IN MY THAT, BECAUSE MY DATABASES ARE PERIODICALLY UPDATED, ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE REVEALED TO BE FALSE MAY ONLY END UP BEING FALSE FOR TIME BEING.**_

"_**ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE START?"**_

None of the six Key Bearers said anything. Not because of the prompt, necessarily; it was all very self-explanatory. It was mostly because of the heavy air of awkwardness that had settled into the air. Most everyone was avoiding eye contact with everyone – Kairi especially – and had taken more than a few sips from their drinks. Namine had almost already polished off her glass of sangria, and was jonesing for a second go. Alcohol made everything better and less awkward, right?

So, in order to get things moving and smooth everything out with everyone, Sora decided to take the initiative.

"I wanna go first, if that's okay." Sora brought forth. Sora had to admit, he probably had the least amount of misgivings regarding having his feelings, his attractions, his sexual activities aired out. It was just something he did, something that was a part of him. Sora felt no shame about what he did or who knew about it... well, maybe if his parents or sisters were involved. But, regardless, it made no difference what Aqua or whoever knew or didn't know about him.

On the other hand, Sora did understand that other people didn't necessarily share his point of view. That Kairi, Roxas, and Namine didn't share his point of view. That they probably wanted to keep things a bit more private, and having all that stuff brought out into the open by Riku, unannounced and unprepared, probably left them a little rattled.

_Well, hopefully a few silly questions will help break the ice, then._

"_**VERY GOOD. WE'LL BEGIN WITH SORA KIDO AS OUR FIRST CONTESTANT. GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"**_

No one bothered to clap, as Sora stood up from his seat and made his way to the center of the deck, standing before the holographic display projected by the Futoracle. The images of five cards with question marks mounted on their backs materialized on the screen, as one of them quickly flipped over, the image on the reverse side dominating the screen.

Futo – the Futoracle – then spoke again, but in a much more measured and, well, "human" voice than before. Something peppy and full of personality. Like it was actually the voice of a gameshow host.

"_**Question #1: True or False: You are most likely to have chef as your future profession?"**_

Indeed, the screen now showed an older Sora, though he still looked as vivacious and bright as ever, hair still as spikey as always (complete with a rather stylish goatee that, thankfully, wasn't as spikey) dressed in proper chef's whites, skillfully and confidently flambeing something in a skillet.

"Hmm, well I do like to cook, and mom's restaurant has been in her family or three generations." Sora decided to verbally work through the problem, as to invite some commentary from the others. At the very least, everyone had their attention focused on Sora and the screen, so his plan was working, even if only a little. "It's practically in my blood! So, yeah, I'm gonna have to go with true on this one!"

_**DING!**_

"_**Correct! That's one point for Sora!"**_

"Yeah, awesome!"

"Oh, come on." Riku complained from behind him. "That was such a gimme question."

Sora just shrugged and smiled. "Hey, it's question one of round one. Gotta start small, right?"

"He certainly has the talent for it..." Aqua reminisced about the very first meal she ate after escaping the Realm of Darkness. Sora had made it. It was the first meal she had eaten in over a decade, and it was simply divine.

"Though the real question is what kind of place Sora is likely to have?" Namine mused, still sitting on Roxas's lap. Sora held a hidden grin as she spoke; everything seemed to be back on track. "I can't imagine Sora being head chef of some fancy place with a Michelin Star or whatever."

"I also thought a food truck would be perfect for Sora." Kairi added. "Or, even better, a food Gummi Ship! Let Sora serve everyone, everywhere, regardless of how far apart we are."

"Yeah, I dunno, I never gave it too much thought." Sora admitted, rubbing the tip of his nose with a finger. "But I'd be happy anywhere: a food truck, a family place, a gastropub. Hell, even taking over for mom when she retires would be nice."

"_**When you're read for Question #2!"**_

Sora quickly turned back to the screen just in time to see another card to flip over, revealing the image of one Yuffie Kisaragi. Notably, not a future incarnation of the dark-haired kunoichi, but simply herself as she would appear in the here and now.

"_**True of False: You have Yuffie Kisaragi as a potential future partner?"**_

"Hmm... well, Yuffie and I do get along fairly well, so I'll go with true on this one, too!"

_**DING!**_

Riku immediately made a disappointed and disparaging noise with his mouth. "Honestly, dude, you can do so much better than that little brat..."

"Oh, Riku, come on, Yuffie isn't anywhere near as bad as you make her out to be." Namine chided, earning a dismissive reaction from the darkness-user. "Sure, she can be a little annoying and loud, and has had some issues with kleptomania, but she's perfectly nice and has been a big help to us in the past." The blonde then realized exactly who she was sitting nearby, as Kairi was sitting alone on her two-person loveseat, arms crossed over her stomach. "Oh, but by that I mean -"

"It's okay, Nami." Kairi said, though her voice and body language suggested tension within the redhead. "I've come into contact with children of Sora's by you, Tifa, Rikku, and Larxene... I have long made my peace with Sora and his, let's say, popularity with other women." Kairi slowly sank into the cushioning of her seat, a smug look slowly spreading on her face, knowing that, regardless of which other men or women were with Sora in the future, she had the _most_ futures.

"_**Onto Question #3! True of False: You have Izuka Harukaze as a potential future partner?"**_

The third card flipped over, revealing the image of another young woman, this one with snow-white hair, looking a little skittish in the frozen image. Very quickly, most everyone realized who exactly this was – Riku's estranged younger sister.

Riku took it quite well.

"Sora..." Riku's voice was a low growl. His eyes had shrunk to pinpricks, focused solely on his friend and the image of his sister. "You stay the fuck away from my sister!"

"Oh, come on, Riku!" Kairi rolled her eyes at such a violent outburst. "You seriously can't take a hypothetical such as this?"

"This is not a hypothetical, Kairi. This is theoretical. Potential futures that may or may not happen." Kairi had to admit, after Riku dumping all of her secrets out in the open, seeing him get so flustered and bothered like this was a nice dose of sour grapes. "Sora..." Riku pointed and glowered at his best friend, as menacingly as possible. And considering it was Riku Akiyama... it was pretty damn menacing. "Choose your answer very carefully."

"Uh... alright..." Sora swallowed, turning back to the Futoracle. Honestly, he didn't know how to feel about this one. After Riku's parents divorced, Izuka moved away and lived on another island with Riku's mom. Sora barely ever saw her. Hell, even when Riku's family was still all together, he could barely remember Izuka that much.

So, Sora did what he always did when faced with such a dilemma: listen to his heart.

"...I'm gonna have to say true."

_**DING!**_

Sora immediately shied away, a little worried about Riku's retaliation. He was pretty sure Riku wouldn't out and out attack him, but still, this was probably not what he wanted to hear. To his delight, however, Riku just sat in his seat, seething silently, healing whatever pain this truth inflicted on him with copious amounts of beer.

"Unbelievable..." Was the only word he uttered, as he shook his head in dismay.

"I don't really get what the big deal is, man?" Sora responded, earning yet another glare from his longtime friend.

"Well, what if I ended up with one of your sisters? How would you feel, Sora?"

Sora simply shrugged again. "Well, I mean... I would at least know Ame or Fuka are in good hands, right?"

"Riku, I just want you to know that I would be mortified and very angry if you hooked up with either of my sisters." Roxas added. Clearly, this was the answer Riku was looking for, as he nodded sagely at the blond's comment.

"Thank you, Roxas. At least someone here gets it."

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes again. "I just don't understand you two and your whole 'protective sibling' act."

"To be fair, you don't have a younger sibling, Kairi." Aqua put forth.

"Yeah, but Sora doesn't do that stuff! Just Riku and Rox."

During all this, Sora had his eyes locked on the Futoracle's screen, as the next card flipped over. However, it didn't really present a picture of someone Sora knew or an image of a future. It wasn't really a picture at all. Just a simple drawing depicting the universal symbols for male and female gender.

"_**Question #4, Sora! True of False: You have an exact equal number of male and female future partners?"**_

Now that one was a bit less straightforward than the others. Sure, Sora was openly bi, but he had been in one committed relationship and hadn't done a lot of playing the field. Then again, this was about potential futures, so maybe his relationship with Kairi didn't amount for much in all this.

Sora held his eyes shut, as the wheels began to turn in his head.

"_**I do need an answer shortly, or you will lose the point for the question!"**_

"Uh... oh, jeez..." Sora's face screwed up in intense concentration, as he tried to figure things out.

"Come on, you're really struggling with this?" Riku called out. "'Exact equal number of male and female partner'? It's mathematically improbable! Just say false already!"

"Uh... false!" Sora blurted out quickly.

"Riku! Don't give him free points." Namine chided, as the Futroacle let out another _**DING**_ indicating Sora's success and his fourth point. "This is suppose to be a competition, after all."

"_**Correct! Of Sora's potential future partners, there is a slight majority leaning towards female, with fifty-nine-point-four of all of his partners being female."**_

Riku leaned back and smiled, one of confidence and ease. "Trust me, if this anything like when we were kids, Sora's going to need all the assistance required... just to keep this interesting."

Namine couldn't help but be pleased with herself from that reaction, doing her best to hide her joy from the others. The lure of competition and a reward was working exactly as planned, getting everyone into the game and involving them more; even someone as reluctant as Riku seemed invested in the idea of getting a favour from her. She felt like some sort of diabolical mastermind over this simple act of manipulation.

Meanwhile, Sora wasn't letting the fact that he was basically given the answer to the last question get him down, as he was still pumped and raring to go.

"Alright, I'm four-for-four. C'mon, Futo, give me that clean sweep!"

"_**Final Question for the round!"**_

The last card on the screen flipped over, revealing an image so shocking and lewd it took everyone by surprise.

"Um... what!?"

"Sora! What is this?"

"Oh my god..."

"_**True or False: You have a potential future where you establish a royal harem for yourself?"**_

The projected image in question once more showed an older Sora, lazily reclining in a resplendent and royal throne, baring a rather proud and confident expression on his face. Kairi was sitting across his lap, arms lovingly entwined around Sora' neck, but there were several others all crowded around the back of the throne. Not just people, but couples. Romantic couples that Sora knew very well were all gathered before him, each person showing loving worship to both their respective partner and Sora himself. There were almost too many bodies to count and see, but everyone could easily make out Namine and Roxas, Tifa and Cloud, and Aerith and Zack.

"Well, uh... this is unexpected..." Sora voice squeaked every so slightly, as a bit of red crawled into his cheeks. Clearly Sora could feel some shame about what he did and who knew. "I mean, everyone there is so nice and I really like them and they're pretty and..." Sora caught himself and swallowed the next series of words. He could feel five sets of eyes burning into the back of his head. All he had to do was answer the question and then everyone could move on from this.

"I'm gonna have to say false, Futo. This just doesn't seem like me."

_**BZZT!**_

The alarm pierced through the air, causing Sora to jump slightly. Oh boy, this was going to get interesting.

"_**I'm sorry, but that was incorrect. And that will bring the first session of True or False to end; Sora finishing with four points, well done! Give him a round of applause everyone."**_

Once more, no one applauded, as Sora shuffled back to his seat. By this time, the (now apparently true and wholly possible) image of Sora atop the throne had disappeared from the screen.

"Crazy game so far, huh guys?" Sora chuckled nervously, trying to break the tension in the room. Admittedly, in the corners of his mind, Sora's imagination was running wild with the scenario just presented to him. It was lewd and odd and weird but... he couldn't deny it wasn't tantalizing and fun. And it was just a harmless fantasy after all, right? There would be no big fallout if he indulged himself just a little bit, right?

Sora's eyes darted around the rest of the deck, checking in on his companions and how they were reacting to what they just saw. Aqua had her eyes shut, looking surprisingly nonplussed about it all. Roxas stared forward, rubbing his hands together, a conflicted expression draw wide across his face. Namine was next to impossible to read, with her vision trained down on the wooden planks that made up the floor, the entirety of her face obscured. Riku was the only one who bothered to make eye contact with Sora, grimacing while taking another sip of his beer.

"You unbelievable pervert... And how do you get a 'royal harem'? Not a single part of you qualifies as royalty."

"I dunno, man. I don't make the rules or anything." Sora picked one of his drinks up from the nearby table and sank back into the cushions of his chair, putting a hand on Kairi's lap. "I mean, it's pretty crazy, huh? But, I guess if anyone has enough love and energy give to all those people it's me, right?" Sora laughed again – casual and breezy – as he bumped shoulders with his girlfriend, gently nudging her. "Huh? Right, Kai? Riiiight?"

During all of this, Kairi had remained perfectly still, her body coiled up like a spring wound too tightly – so tightly that it would snap from a single wrong touch. Her lips were pursed hard together, while she stared ahead with a vacant thousand-yard stare. Yes, she had come to terms with Sora's popularity with other women (and with other men, for that matter). And, yes, Kairi could admit that maybe she could be the teensy, tiniest bit possessive over Sora (but not anywhere near as bad as everyone else claimed – they were just being crazy), but having stuff like that thrown in her face? Sora surrounding himself with a bevy of adoring lovers?

It was annoying and aggravating. But the worst part of it all might have been why it was annoying and aggravating. That Kairi found her first reaction being irritation that this was Sora's harem and Sora's alone.

And so, the redhead sat their, fuming silently, save for softly muttering, "If this ever comes close to happening, we're having joint custody over this..."

"What was that, Kai?"

Kairi smiled sweetly, feigning ignorance. "Nothing!"

"_**We're now ready for our second contestant. Kairi, please stand up and get ready to play!"**_

"R-right!" The annoyance Kairi felt quickly left her body and was replaced by nervousness, as she leaped to her feet and walked towards the computer. But, hey, Sora got through this game with minimal fuss. Sure, some of the questions were slightly embarrassing, but what was the worse that could possibly happen?

_Just don't reveal I have a harem future in store. Sora is one thing, I would die if Aqua learned about the depths of my depravity..._

Once more, five cards appeared on screen, indicating the futures Kairi would have to divine. Immediately, one of them flipped over, flooding the screen with different images. Six images, all of which had Kairi paired alongside someone else – Sora, Roxas, Leon, Tifa, Yuna, and some stern-looking woman with rose pink hair Kairi didn't recognize.

"_**Question #1! True or False: You have more potential female partners than male partners?"**_

Kairi scrutinized the task before her, for numerous reasons. One, she was a little taken aback that she got a question Sora didn't. That there seemed to be no set pattern to the questions offered to the contestants. She supposed that made sense, but all the same...

Next, there was the question itself. This seemed a bit too easy, even for a first question. Sure, Kairi had feelings for both men and women, but she was certain her feelings towards men were stronger and more plentiful. That she was a hetero-leaning bi like her boyfriend.

"False." Kairi answered quickly.

_**BZZT!**_

But, oh how wrong Kairi was about herself...

"_**I'm sorry, but that was incorrect. While you the majority of your futures are with Sora, to be certain, he is but one partner. When you count out all your partners, the gender ratio skews towards female!"**_

Kairi only huffed, folding her arms over her stomach. "Well, that's a great start..."

"To be honest, I don't think this is a surprising truth." Came Namine, the comment earning her a look from her sister, demanding further explanation. "Well, yes you're so infatuated with Sora, but I think since you became more comfortable with who you are, you're making a lot of comments towards women..."

Kairi cleared her throat, awkwardly. She wanted to dispute the claim, but couldn't find it in herself to do so. Did she really? Hell, was she that obvious about her affections and attentions?

"Cards on the table, until she started leering at Tifa and A-" Riku caught himself, stopping before saying the next name, which Kairi was eternally grateful for. Yes, Riku was a jackass who spilled a bunch of personal information, but he wasn't a completely tactless jerk. "Until that happened, I thought Kairi was one of those people who is only attracted to one specific other. Single target sexuality and all that" That, she had to chuckle at.

"Well, I mean, when it's someone like Sora, I don't blame you for thinking that, Riku."

"_**Onto Question #2! True or False: You have Riku as a potential future partner?"**_

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Speak to the devil directly, and he'll appear in your game... apparently. The next card on the screen flipped over, revealing a picture of Riku himself, looking almost identical to the darkness-user as he was, here and now.

Unlike before, Kairi needed no time to deliberate on this future.

"False." She declared, immediately and with supreme confidence.

_**DING!**_

Both Kairi and Riku breathed an intense sigh of relief, as the redhead got on the board with her first point.

Sora shook his head in dismay. "Ah, come on guys! You two always act like this whenever someone even jokes about you two being a couple. I think you two would be great for each other."

"While the sentiment is... sweet, Sora," Kairi managed a weak smile, "Riku and I just aren't really compatible that way. He's just not my type." Riku nodded at the assessment.

"What she said. Kai is way too needy and high-maintenance for my tastes..."

"Excuse you! I am _not_ high-maintenance! Sora, tell him!" Riku took another sip of his beer, pointing across at his friend.

"See. Stuff like that. You get flustered and rattled by the slightest thing and then need someone to soothe you." Riku smirked as Kairi pouted. "And then you get all huffy when someone points out your flaws."

"Because that 'someone' is an acid-tongued jerk." Kairi stuck her tongue out playfully at her friend, the two clearly relishing in the banter. This was just something they did. Well-honed after many years of friendship. Both Kairi and Riku could give it and take it in equal measures.

Aqua shook her head and sighed at the exchange of barbs, still nursing her drink. "I guess friendship takes all sorts of different forms... Still don't quite understand this one..."

Another card on the screen flipped over, this one showing a panoramic view of Radiant Garden. But the screen only held on the image for a few second, before it transitioned to the scenic vistas of Destiny Islands, and then back to the Garden, again.

"_**Question #3! True or False: More of your potential partners hail from Radiant Garden than from Destiny Islands?"**_

Now that was an interesting one. Quickly, Kairi reviewed whatever little information she did know about her futures. She had seen kids of hers by Sora, Leon, Roxas, and Aqua. That was one from the Islands, one from the Garden, and then two who were a bit harder to place, so that didn't give her much to work with. Changing gears, she began to quickly go over various peoples she knew from both worlds, what her feelings for them were, and how compatible she found herself with them. But, of course, there was nothing quick about that, as Kairi descended deeper and deeper in the rabbit hole of her mind and -

"_**I do need an answer quickly or you'll forfeit the point."**_

"Er... true?" Kairi's voice wavered, much less sure than her previous two responses.

So, with that in mind, the redhead was pleasantly surprised to hear a loud _**DING!**_ reverberate through the air.

"Alright, alright!" Kairi nodded along, getting into this. This wasn't too too bad. A couple questions were odd and some of the truths weren't what she was expecting, but it was fun. Lighthearted. Not super embarrassing or awkward at all. Why was she worried about this in the first place?

The fourth card flipped over, and Kairi felt her heart drop and her stomach churn. It was image of the deceased renegade Nobody, Axel, a cocky shit-eating grin plastered on his face, slimy charm cranked up to maximum. Her kidnapper. Her tormentor. A person Kairi would prefer never to think about again if she had the option. And she knew _exactly_ what was coming next.

"_**Question #4: True of False: You have Axel as a potential future partner?"**_

Yeah. Now she remembered. This was what she was worried about in the first place...

"False. False. False!" Kairi clasped her hands together in prayer. "Oh, please, by all things holy, please be false!"

_**DING!**_

The weight of the world lifted from the redhead's shoulders, as she sighed in relief again. She didn't know what she would do if she learned that, yeah she (Kairi felt a wave of nausea at the thought) hooked up with Axel at some point in time. Probably something desperate and crazy like trying to destroy that specific timeline...

Of course, Kairi always quickly considered the feelings of a certain someone present.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Roxas, I didn't mean it like that." Kairi verbally backspaced when she Roxas look slightly bothered by her relief. Roxas just shrugged at the apology.

"No, no. It's fine, Kairi. I understand, I -"

"It's just... he's such a creep. And he was rude and condescending and kept leering at me and insulting me and I-I... I hate him! After all these years, I still hate him!" Kairi clamped her hands over her mouth, but the damage had been done. All of those words had poured out of her unbidden or unprompted. Sure, everyone probably knew Kairi didn't have sunny feelings towards the fiery Nobody, but he was still Roxas's friend. Hell, from what she had heard, the two Nobodies may possessed feelings for one another deeper than friendship, but never had a chance to express them.

Roxas turned away, frowning slightly. "It's fine, Kairi..." He said in a quiet, almost angry voice.

Namine placed a comforting hand on the blond's back, as Kairi felt her guilt blossomed eve more.

_Well, you've really stepped into it this time, Kairi... Me and my stupid, big fat mouth._

She didn't mean to upset Roxas like this, but it all just sort of burst out. Kairi's words exploding outward like water bursting through a dam. The Princess sighed, one of forlorn regret instead of relief this time. What a mess.

"Let's just do the final question before I shoot myself in the foot again..."

The final card flipped over, making Kairi immediately regret her urgency to get this done with.

Like with Sora beforehand, the image on screen showed an older Kairi, dressed resplendently in a crimson gown with a silver tiara crowning her head, nobly sitting atop a throne. On either arm of the throne, and with Kairi's own arms wrapped around their waists, were Sora and Roxas, lovingly huddling over the redhead. But Kairi and the boys were not alone, oh no, for in the foreground of the image were several other people – almost too many to count – all bowing before the throne and their Queen, in loving supplication and adoration.

Clearly visible among the throng of worshipers were Leon, and Tifa. And Aqua.

And Aqua.

"_**Final Question! True or False: You have a potential future where you establish a royal harem for yourself?"**_

Immediately, Kairi's skin flushed, every inch of her almost turning as red as her hair. The girl stared at the image in mute horror, as if trying to process what this meant _and_ what everyone else thought of her for this.

Not to mention, unlike Sora, Kairi _was_ of royal blood. And, furthermore, she had taken a long and hard look as to what the limit of the powers the monarch of Radiant Garden had, and there was in fact a law still on the books that allowed them to establish a poly-amorous harem. Yes, it hadn't been used in one-hundred and twenty-seven years, and doing so would probably cause a massive civic revolt, but...

_No, no, no! That is not the point! This... this isn't me! I'm not some creep who's going to horde all these... wonderful people all to myself..._

_No! Focus Kairi! This is bigger than that! OH GOD! This is bigger than that!  
_

_Everyone knows! Aqua knows! This is it, this is the end! Aqua knows! She knows you like her, that's obvious! This is the absolute end of your relationship!  
_

_Worse WORSE! She's seen... this! Now she knows you're this gross, power-hungry pervert who lusts for everyone that crosses your path! You're the worst, Kairi! The worst!_

Deeper and deeper Kairi sank into the mire of her own despairing thoughts, not moving or making any noise at all. Sora, Roxas, Namine, and even Riku were in a similar state, hesitant and at unease, not really sure what to do in order to make the situation better.

Aqua stared dead ahead at the screen. Her eyes had not moved since the image first appeared.

"_**I do need an answer shortly, or you will lose the point for the question!"**_

Kairi stammered at Futo's declaration, still not knowing how to process the information presented to her. Because, in truth, the absolute worst part of all this was that their was a tiny, tiny part of Kairi that was receptive to such an idea. To wield her power and authority in such a manner that she could freely express her love to all the people she cared for, that she loved and lusted after, and that loved and wanted her. It was an enticing and intoxicating fantasy.

And Kairi hated herself for that.

Finally, after what seemed like another eternity of anxiety and panic and despair, Kairi squeaked out an answer.

"...Tralse?"

"_**...I'm sorry, but I do not recognize that response. The correct answer was true! Regardless, time has expired and the point is forfeited. With that, Kairi finishes the round with three points. Not bad."**_

Kairi sank to her knees, clutching at her heart, eyes wide in shock, breath still held in her chest. She was trembling, lips and eyes quivering.

"Hey, Kairi, it's not so bad..." Sora went to do his duty as boyfriend and best friend and find some way to comfort and assuage his beloved, only to be stopped when Kairi immediately sprang back to full height.

"What am I doing despairing on the floor?" Kairi's eyes were alight with feverish and manic energy, shifting around but not making eye contact with any of her friends. "We need refreshments. More food, more snacks, more drinks. And I, the hostess, will rectify that!"

The food she and Namine had brought out earlier had barely been touched. And everyone still had plenty left to drink. Nothing needed to be refreshed or topped off.

"Be right back!" Moving faster than she ever had in her entire life before this point, Kairi rushed back indoors, not sparing a second glance to anyone else.

"Well... that was certainly something..." Riku said. It had been five minutes since Kairi had left before anyone spoke again.

"Kairi. She...uh..." Aqua looked down, trying to sort out her thoughts and find the right words. She had certainly seen herself in that last image, bowing before Kairi – Queen Kairi. "This is my fault, isn't it?" Namine shook her head at the assessment.

"No, no... it's mostly my fault for playing this game. I should have known that with the two of you here, things would get awkward." Aqua leaned in, looking for more clarification, but Namine just shifted uncomfortably. It might be easier to explain if she told the Keyblade Master her sister had feelings for her, but it wasn't her place to say such things.

Fortunately, Sora swooped in to save her.

"Kairi, well, she's not a super private person, but there are somethings she likes to keep quiet. Y'know... bedroom things..." Sora explained, adding the last part in an unnecessary sotto voice. "I think she's afraid of how people would think of her if they knew that side of her. And, I guess, because of how much she respects you Aqua, she's afraid of what you think now that you know."

Aqua sat in silence for a moment, biting at her lip. "What do you think of her Sora? Knowing...that." Aqua couldn't bring herself to actually describe what she had seen. Just vaguely thinking on it made her feel... strange.

"It's Kairi. It doesn't matter what she does, I love her, and I'll follow her wherever she goes, so long as she'll have me. Bigamy, polygamy, harem? Doesn't matter in the long run – I accept every part of her, even the part of herself she doesn't like."

Aqua smiled softly at Sora's answer. "Of course. Of course that would be your answer. You're so sweet to her, Sora..."

"_**When you're ready, would our next contestant please step forward? Roxas! It's your turn to play!"**_

Cricking his neck, as if this would be strenuous physical activity, Roxas grimly marched forward. "So, should we start putting down munny on who's going to be in my harem?" The blond boy joked, trying to inject a bit of levity into the situation.

"Oh! Yeah!" Sora stuck his hand into the air, answering with due sincerity. "I'll put a hundred on Olette. Or Fuu. Either or. They seem really sweet on you."

Riku just scoffed at the proposal. "Chocobo Hair here doesn't have the stones to handle anything like that. And he's even less of a royal than Sora."

"Well, if we are doing this, then obviously I'm going to say myself." Namine put forth, with a bit of a giggle in her voice.

Aqua continued to sit in silent contemplation, not bothering to engage with Roxas' joke.

Five new cards flashed on the screen, before the first one flipped over, revealing the all-too familiar visage of Namine.

"_**Question #1! True or False: Namine is the partner your have the most potential futures with?"**_

Roxas didn't waste anytime in answering this.

"True!" Roxas earned the easy point, with both him and Namine smiling and clapping jubilantly in the wake of the _**DING!**_

"_**Question #2! More of your potential partners hail from Twilight Town than from Destiny Islands?"**_

The second card flipped over, once again showing a transitioning scene between two landscapes: the quiet, sunlit streets of Twilight Town and the lush tropical paradise of the Islands.

As the card turned over, and Roxas began to think of his options, Aqua stood up.

"I'm going to go talk to her." She declared. "Kairi's suffering and I can't stand by without helping." The eyes of the blue-haired woman drifted towards the others, looking for acknowledgment and encouragement. And while they certainly wanted to do so, they wanted Aqua to be able to assuage Kairi's fears and doubts, but Aqua was part of the reason why Kairi had panicked and fled. Seemingly, she sensed the reasoning for their silence. "I know that I'm probably the last person she wants to see right now... but I feel guilty that I'm the cause of this rift between us, and I want to make it right."

Aqua loved her apprentice dearly. Seeing any sort of distress in her was one of the most unpleasant things she could experience in the here and now. And to discover that there were all these unsaid feelings between them...

"Hey, Aqua."

The Keyblade Master looked up to see Sora addressing her, a confident and supportive look on his face. Just as Sora was want to do.

"You can do it. We all know you can."

"Thank you, Sora." Aqua may still be without her family – without Terra and Ven – but she considered herself blessed for the new friends she had met in the recent years. Sora and Kairi in particular.

"_**Question #3: True or False: You have more potential female partners than male partners?"**_

"True!"

"Wait, what?"

As Aqua departed the area of the sundeck to go and seek out Kairi, Sora turned back around to face the game area, clearly confused by what was transpiring.

_**DING!**_

"What happened to being on question two?"

"Roxie got it right." Namine filled him in, as whatever image the third card presented vanished, the fourth card now flipping over. "It was false, for the record."

"And now, blondy is sitting pretty with three points." Came Riku.

"Well, don't take things too fast guys." Sora cautioned, taking his seat once more. "Try and drag things out until Aqua gets back, don't want to skip over her turn."

"_**If we are experiencing issues, I can also place Aqua at the back of the queue."**_

"Oh, yeah! Thanks Futo!"

"...Was doing this a mistake, guys?" Namine asked, suddenly. "Like, just seeing the friction between Roxas and Kairi was bad enough, but now this whole thing has come up with her and Aqua, and..." The blonde removed her glasses and pinched at the bridge of her nose. How stupid could she possibly be? Kairi was still very sensitive about her feelings for Aqua – it's just how she was, she went through a similar period right before her and Sora confessed to each other – and of course this game would put those same feelings front and center.

"Well, I wouldn't say that, Nam." Roxas consoled his lover, gently wrapping his arms around her. He knew better than anyone how much she loved to be held and cuddled. "I knew how Kairi felt about Axe, hell, I'd say most of you don't have fond feelings about him, just hearing it is something entirely different..."

Riku stood up, moving to the cooler to find another drink. "As for the Aqua thing... she was going to find out about Kairi's feelings sooner rather than later. Personally, I was getting tired with her dancing around the truth, so this might do her a world of good."

"Yeah, you know, I don't say this often, but Riku is right." Roxas said, him and his rival side-eyeing each other. "It's like your feelings for Sora. It's rough going at first, but you feel a million times better when you come out the other side." Roxas nuzzled up against Namine's cheek. "In a way, you're helping Kai just like she helped us."

Namine didn't really feel like she was helping her sister, but said nothing and simply surrendered to Roxas' cuddles and compliments.

"_**Question #4! True or False: You have more than one potential romantic partner from among the Princesses of Heart?"**_

Everyone turned their attention back to the projected screen, as the fourth card in the set flipped over, revealing a massive group shot of people. Indeed, nearly everyone who could be counted as a Princess of Heart was present on the screen, from Kairi and the other original seven, to the various others who also possessed hearts of strong light from Anna and Elsa to Tiana to Kida and everyone else in between.

"Well, that's pretty easy, isn't it?" Roxas vividly remembered both Alton and Siegfried, his future children by Kairi and Elsa, respectively. "It's true, without a doubt."

_**DING!**_

Riku leaned back, arms crossed, a look of suspicion plastered on his face. "Okay, this is ridiculous. Are you stacking the deck, Nam? Did you set this thing to easy mode for you boyfriend or something?"

"Oh, yes Riku, you've figured out my fiendish plan." Namine "admitted" with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "I arranged all of this only to conspire with Roxy to give him an easy win all to give him a favour."

"_**Final Question for the round! True or False!"**_

Roxas' final card flipped over, once more revealing an expansive group shot, but this time a less pleasant group than the assembled Princesses.

"_**You have two or more potential future partners from among members of Organization XIII?"**_

Indeed, before Roxas were his former comrades and compatriots in the Organization, all twelve spread out before him.

"Wow, you know, I really could have done without seeing these assholes again." Riku said in a low voice, taking a deep sip of his beer. "Static image or otherwise." Both Sora and Namine nodded in agreement at their friend's assessment.

Roxas, meanwhile, was in thinking mode, aiming to get his full five points. "Hmm, two or more? Well, Axel is one..." Quickly surveying his options on the board, Roxas quickly came to realize that – WOW! - there were a lot of low cards in this hand. A real murderer's row of sociopaths, psychopaths, and actual murderers.

_Machiavellian schemers like Marluxia and Zexion. Savage brutes like Xaldin. And then just general pieces of shit like Saix and Xigbar..._

"Yeah, no. I'm definitely going false on this one."

_**BZZT!**_

"Seriously?"

"_**Seriously! You were seriously incorrect! From Organization XIII, you have both Axel and Larxene as potential partners!"**_

"_NRRRRRRGH!_"

All three of the boys whipped their heads around to find the source of the horrifying, ear-piercing shriek: Namine! The blonde currently had her jaw clenched together, every single muscle in her body was taut and tightly wound up, and she looked as if a pillar central to her worldview had been taken from under her.

"You're telling me... that there's a future... where _Larxene gets her claws into my Roxy_!?"

Namine was not a person that rose to anger quickly, but she was beyond angry in this moment. She was furious. Enraged. Absolutely apoplectic! The fact that there was some point in time and space where that horrible, awful, abusive, monstrous woman got to be rewarded with someone as sweet and loving as her boyfriend... it was a betrayal of everything she held dear!

Roxas shook his head, arms going back around Namine's waist. "Trust me, sweetie, this isn't ideal for me either..." He shuddered as, thankfully, Larxene's image vanished from the screen. She might not be the absolute worst Organization member, but she was certainly in the top tier of worst people imaginable.

_I mean, yeah, I like blondes, but I'm not that desperate!_

"_**That brings this round to an end, Roxas finishing with four points, as well. Let's keep moving on and bring in our next contestant... Riku! Come on down!"**_

"Ugh, fine. Better get this over with." Riku stood up and stomped his way over to right in front of the screen.

At the same time he did this, Sora stood up.

"I'm going to check in on them."

No one needed clarification as to who Sora was referring to. In fact, judging by the reactions of Roxas, Riku, and Namine, it was almost expected.

Riku grinned. "Couldn't just leave it Aqua, could you? Couldn't sit on the sidelines when someones in distress? Well, go on. When it comes to helping others, we all know there's no stopping you."

"_Especially_ when it comes to Kairi." Namine added with a cheerful smile.

"Thanks guys." Sora was beyond grateful for his friends and their support. "I'll be back with the girls quick, I promise."

Sora quickly exited the sundeck, leaving just the three others.

With much reluctance, Riku turned his eyes towards the screen, as the question marked cards appeared on the screen, the first quickly flipping over. Just like during Roxas' round, the image showed Namine.

"_**Question #1! True or False: You have Namine as a potential future partner?"**_

"False." Riku grunted, taking no time to think or even consider the question. When the system rang out with a hearty _**DING!**_ Riku instantly felt a wave of relief wash over him. Just like Kairi, there was no way he wanted to hook up with his surrogate sister.

"_**Correct! Question #2!"**_

The next card flipped showing a rabbit-eared woman with dark skin and white-coloured hair. A viera, one of the many races of humanoids that inhabited Radiant Garden.

"_**True or False: Of all the races, the majority of your potential partners are viera?"**_

"False." Once more, Riku's answer came immediately, followed by a _**DING!**_

"Hey, you can't just speed through these. There's no fun in that." Roxas complained, but Riku played little mind.

"Don't tell me how to play the game, Chocobo Hair."

"That is a good question, though. Riku, when you date a woman, what race do you prefer?" Namine questioned, as the third card flipped over. The silver-haired man only shrugged.

"I dunno. Viera, gria, lowenis, skarren, bhravaa. They all have their pluses and minuses. All I know is that I count the number of human girls I've been with on one-hand." Everyone talked up Sora's popularity with women, but Riku had proven himself a massive hit with the woman of Radiant Garden since moving to the capitol. He supposed it was highlighted less often because he was never had a relationship that last longer than a few weeks, compared to Sora. Also, he didn't yammer on about his love life incessantly.

"I mean, viera women are tall and lithe, deceptively strong. But the bhravaa are basically Amazons in their proportions. I never considered the gria before, honestly – too short for my taste, I thought – but being with a short partner isn't the worst thing in the world. Not to mention, the sensation of their scales rubbing against skin is -" Riku realized he had been mumble-ranting, his words only partly perceptible, but still saying too much. He scowled at himself. "I've said too much..." Fortunately, Futo quickly provided a distraction.

The screen now held portraits of the original Seven Princess: Kairi, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and Alice.

"_**Question #3! True or False: You have a potential future with at least one of the Seven Princesses?"**_

Roxas blinked. "Wait, it's making a distinction between the Seven Princess and the Princesses of Heart? Seems sort of arbitrary..."

"False." Riku quickly said.

_**BZZT!**_

"_**I'm sorry, but that's incorrect. You do have potential futures together with none other than Princess Jasmine!"**_

"Jasmine?" That was probably the future of the seven that made the least sense, disregarding Kairi. "But she hates my guts!"

"Oh, come on Riku, that's a little extreme, don't you think?" Namine scoffed. "Sure, you and Jasmine don't get -"

"No, you don't understand. Remember when we went to attend her wedding to Aladdin?" Both blonds nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, she pulled me aside and told me to my face that the only reason I wasn't sitting a jail cell right now was because Sora and Kairi were my friends and they vouched to for me. She does not like me." And Riku couldn't exactly blame her for that judgement.

Card number four flipped over, revealing a woman who was – at first – unfamiliar to the three players. She was young, maybe a little older than they were right now, with fluffy honey blonde hair pulled back in a sporty ponytail. She had bright blue eyes that revealed a vivid light, but also a certain level of melancholy to her expression.

It took a moment for Namine to clue in on exactly who this was.

"Oh my god, Roxie..." Namine gasped in wide-eyed amazement. "That's you! It's you!"

"What!?" Both boys cried out together.

"_**Question #4! True or False: You have a Roxas as a potential future partner, involving gender-swapping?"**_

"False!" Came Riku

"Super false!" Was Roxas' answer, even if he wasn't a player.

"False, false, false, false false false false false false false false false falsefalse false false false falsefalse false false false falsefalse false false false falsefalse false false false falsefalse false false false falsefalsefalsefa"

"False, false, flase, false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false"

"false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false"

_**DING!**_

"Oh thank fucking god!" Riku just about collapsed then and there. "I have never been more happy to be correct in my entire life!"

"You and me both..." Roxas sank deeper into the cushions of his chair. Roxas couldn't lie to himself, from a pure aesthetics point of view, he did find Riku to be very attractive. However, he also found his personality to be so toxic and noxious that there was no way he would ever find himself to cross that bridge. Regardless of gender, orientation, or any other statistic.

"How upset would you two be if I said you would make a cute couple?" Namine prodded, impish grin splitting her lips. Roxas took the comment in good humour, but Riku just scowled darkly.

"Look, it's bad enough that the line separating me and Sora is his gender and sex, I don't need any other futures like that." He took another drink. Thank Kingdom Hearts for alcohol and the fact their ancestors made drinking it socially acceptable. "Let's just finish me off and see if Aqua returns before Namine is done."

"_**Alright! Let's get onto the final question! True or False: You have multiple potential poly-amorous relationships?"**_

The image on screen showed many Rikus, each closely and lovingly huddled together with a pair of women. The first and most prominent was Riku with a short, spritely redhead and a tall, muscular dark-haired woman with olive skin – undoubtedly the elusive Vanille Dia and Fang Yun – while another showed him with a pair of the rabbit-eared viera, and a third with Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough.

Roxas stared up at the screen with disgusted fascination. It was so odd to him to see Riku show any sort of tender emotion or loving affection to any other person or being, even if it were women he was supposedly in love with.

"False." Riku said for the fifth time. Well, maybe the fifty-fifth time considering the flurry of responses to question four.

"You can't say false to every answer, Riku!" Namine chimed in, sounding almost offended. "That's poor strategy. And it's boring!

_**DING!**_

At the sound marking his correct reply, Riku smirked. "Yeah, well, I just got four points by doing that. So, to hell with your 'fun' and 'strategy' Nam, I'm in a three-way tie for first."

"_**Indeed! Riku finishes with four points as well. No one has hit that elusive perfect score yet, but we still have two more contestants before the round comes to an end!"**_

"Hey guy, we're back. Tell me, what did we miss?"

* * *

_Well, we're fully underway now! Let the games begin! Next time, Aqua and Namine will get their turn, plus Aqua will try and have her little heart-to-heart with Kairi. Be sure to place your bets as to who will win the whole damn thing._

_Until next time!_


	4. True or False, part 2

_**Hey, you! Yeah, you.**_

_**Do you like "Futureship"? Do you like all the crazy Future Children OCs?**_

_**I do really enjoy this series, and would love to continue this – I do already have preliminary plans for the fourth and fifth stories – but I need a bit of help. Coming up with all these Future Children can take a bit of effort and creativity, and while I enjoy testing myself, I would love to see what other people have in mind**_

_**So, to that end, what would you say if I told you you could make your own Future Child OC and have them featured in a future Futureship story?**_

_**If that sounds interesting to you and you would like to participate, then please leave your suggestions and ideas in a review, comment, or PM. All credit deserved will be given to the creator, of course, but your OC can be featured in a future story.**_

_**All I need from you is the following info:  
**_

_**-Their name**_

_**-The child's parents (At least one of which must be either Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, or Riku)**_

_**-A brief description of their personality**_

_**-A brief description of their appearance**_

_**-Their Keyblade (at least a name, if not also a physical description, and at least one Form Change)**_

_**Any other information you provide beyond that is entirely up to you, but would be welcomed.**_

_**But, just be aware, any pairings involving characters from Union Chi and Xion will not be permitted, as those characters are not present in this setting. And any pairings involving most Organization members will also likely be dismissed. Just a fair warning.**_

_**But beyond that, ship to your heart's content! Pull from the vast breadth of Disney and Square properties. If you want to ship something stayed and normal like Sora and Kairi or Namine and Roxas, go for it! If you want to ship something out there and crazy like Riku with Wendy Corduroy, or Namine with Gladio, then do so! Go nuts and have fun!**_

_**Either way, whether you wish to participate or not, please have fun, and enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

**True or False, part 2**

Aqua steeled herself as she entered the home of her apprentice and her family.

She felt as if this conversation was a long time overdue.

Aqua did not consider herself a judgemental person. Through her travels, she had encountered many peoples who thought differently than her, acted differently than her, cherished and desired different things than her, and generally went about their lives differently than her, but Aqua never found any of these strangers to be offensive in their opinions or actions. She was more than happy letting them go about their way. Because, truth be told, it was most likely Aqua was the different one. She had spent the formative years of her life within a clandestine monastery, training and learning and dedicating herself to something important, but otherwise cut off from the outside world and what could be considered a "normal life".

Due to this upbringing, there were many things Aqua didn't quite understand.

Technology, first and foremost. Technologically advanced worlds like San Fransokyo could be an utter nightmare for the Keyblade Master, and even more mundane levels of modern tech could be overwhelming. She still preferred using an abacus to a calculator, for heaven's sake.

Aqua was also largely ignorant of most societal conventions regarding young women her age. How to dress, how to act, how to speak... Aqua had no intentions of rocking the boat, so to speak, but simply wanted to move through life at her own pace, in her own way, but would still bump up against these expectations of her gender.

Comedy. Aqua had a truly atrocious sense of humour. But that wasn't anything new. Even way back when, Terra and Ven had their own collection of private jokes that Aqua never understood, and whenever she tried to join in, her own punchlines and quips would fail to land, without fail.

And, of course, Romance and sex were also another blindspot – maybe even as large of one as her tech illiteracy. Aqua had never had a significant other of any form. She had never even shared a kiss that wasn't wholly platonic. Once, many years ago, a boy did ask her for "one date" and Aqua felt her entire body flush and heat up, alien feelings entering her heart and mind, before stammering and running away. To this day, she wasn't sure whether those feelings were shame, attraction, or something else.

The next time Aqua ran into that boy, he had grown up, and was in a loving relationship of his own. Aqua felt something when she learned that, too, but also hadn't divined what it truly meant.

But, despite her inexperience, Aqua still had her intuition as a Keyblade Master. She could read people and their hearts. Especially those close to her. Her friends and loved ones. She could sense when something was wrong.

Something was very wrong with Kairi, right here and right now, and Aqua wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Said redhead was currently in the kitchen, buzzing like a hummingbird and busy at work... but only in the most loose of meaning. Kairi wasn't even really doing anything; fiddling with utensils and small pieces of food, flitting from place to place, creating the illusion that she was busy with something, but to a keen observer, they could see through the act.

"Kairi." Aqua said in a clear, authoritative voice. Her "Master voice", Kairi had once dubbed it. Firm and commanding, but not controlling and overbearing. Immediately, Kairi snapped up to face her Master, while furiously chopping at a lime that no one could possibly have no use at the point in time. Not to mention it had been sliced into little ribbons, ribbons that were getting smaller and smaller by the minute...

"Oh, hey Aqua!" Kairi greeted with a plastered on smile, a high-pitched voice rising over the _chop chop_ of the knife on the board. The lime went from a chiffonade to a full dice. What was a smaller cut than a dice? "You know you don't need to come in and check on me. I'm fine. Fine. Just fine." The false smile grew bigger. Aqua's lips grew taut at the sight of it. "You should go back outside and keep playing with everyone. Yeah. Yeah yeah. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. You put some much on yourself all the time, you deserve a little R&R. Mhmm!"

Kairi continued to ramble on, words falling out of her mouth a mile a minute. Kairi always spoke in a much more rapid pace whenever something was bothering her, Aqua knew that fact well enough. Not when she was angry or depressed, but when she annoyed. When she was stressed or worried. She would rant and repeat in a breathless state, refusing to let anyone else get a word in edgewise. But it was all an act to try and deflect away from whatever was bothering her.

It tore Aqua up whenever she saw her beloved apprentice like this.

"Kairi, I think we should talk."

The redhead seemed amused by the request. Or, rather, she acted amused. "Talk? Why would we need to talk? Mhmm, nope. Nope! Everything is super great between us. Totally... copacetic! You should go back outside, I'll be done here soon. I'll join when I'm finished. Just gotta..." Frantically, Kairi looked about to find something else to occupy her time with. Some other excuse.

But Aqua would not be dissuaded or denied in her quest. She was nothing if not stubborn, especially when it came to the well-being of her friends.

"I think there's a distance between us that needs to be closed." Aqua moved around the countertop so that she could stand face-to-face with Kairi, nothing in between them. As the blue-haired woman approached, Kairi's lip quivered reflexively. "I don't mean to dig into your personal life, but the way you reacted to what Riku said, and to some of those questions... I just..." Aqua's face screwed up in visible annoyance. Her words were failing her. Why was it so hard to communicate these feelings to Kairi of all people? "I just want to clear the air between us, please?" Aqua punctuated her plea with a gracious, inviting smile, hoping it would settle down her skittish apprentice.

But Aqua's appeal failed yet again, as Kairi shied away, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into you today, Master, but...I'm fine." The redhead tried to smile again, but it wasn't as big as before. Less bright. Less confident. If anything, it was a less a smile and more her lips curling in annoyance. "Please... just please leave me be, Aqua..."

It took all of Aqua's composure not to snap in frustration. Her politeness was getting her nowhere, and her patience was wearing thin. She felt incredibly guilty to feel such anger at her apprentice. "Kairi, I just want you to be honest with me and..." Aqua trailed off. She wanted Kairi's honesty. She wanted the truth.

Then maybe it was time for her to be honest with herself.

_Time for me to stop beating around the bush. Just say it, Aqua._

Aqua was naive and inexperienced, but she was no fool. She could connect the dots. She could see the writing on the wall. She had be aware of the truth for the longest time, but chose to be ignorant of it. Chose to ignore the signs. Blinded herself to the feelings her apprentice had.

But today had been quite revealing.

Kairi was attracted to women, in addition to men. She loved Sora and was happy with him, but desired others, like any normal human. And, there were times, Aqua could now see with more clarity, where Kairi seemed more than close with her. Closer than an apprentice and Master should be. Aqua would always just chalk this up as the closeness of their friendship.

But then there was also the image of the potential future. Of Kairi's royal harem. Aqua saw herself in that image. Lovingly prostrated before Kairi. The radiant, older, majestic Kairi.

Queen Kairi.

"Kairi... are you attracted to me? Do you have feelings for me. A-are... you in love with me?"

In reality, Aqua had expected the younger girl to react poorly to her line of questioning. Not just to remain obstinate and in denial, perhaps even doubling down, but to get angry. Kairi never showed her fury to Aqua, but she knew it could be great and fiery, just like her brilliant scarlet hair. Aqua expected a great many things.

But she did not think that Kairi's resistance would diminish, that falsified smile would shrink and wither, and the girl herself now seemed quite small and dark, a far cry from the radiant youth Aqua had come to know and love.

"...So what if I am..." Kairi finally mumbled in response, eyes cast down and away. "So what if I am? What would you do if I said 'yes'? If I said 'no'?" Kairi never made eye contact with her Master, only staring the kitchen counters.

"What do you mean?" Aqua tilted her head, confused. "What were you expecting of me? What would it matter what I think?"

Seemingly, this returned Kairi to life, as she sparked up again. "Because it's you! You're everything!" She exclaimed, loudly and animatedly, arms flailing outward. "You're Aqua, the Keyblade Master! You're one of the most strongest, smartest, beautiful, most wonderful people around! You saved all the worlds by yourself! You're a hero!"

Aqua flushed and flinched. She hated being considered in that light. Sure, she stopped Xehanort, but she failed to save Terra or Ven. She was still failing them to this day. Sora and Kairi and Riku were separated by the darkness, but they were able to pull themselves back together. Reunite themselves under their own power. That was commendable. That was heroic. That was a greater feat than she had ever accomplished. She was just a failure, in comparison. If anything, she should be laying praise down at the feet of the three of them, not the other way around.

"So of course it matters what you think!" Kairi ranted, words practically exploding out of her mouth. Now, she was pacing. Aimlessly. Back and forth. "Do you hate me? Do you reciprocate my feelings? Are you ambivalent to all of it? Do you even care? And I'm saying all of this and I don't even know what you are! Are you straight? Gay? Bi? Ace? Something else entirely?" It was all gushing forward now, like a dam that had burst and unleashed an ever-surging tide of water. It seemed Aqua had found the proper question to ask. "It feels wrong to think that when I don't know your sexuality. Do you think I'm just this gross, power-hungry pervert who lusts after you? Yes! Yes, I have feeling for you Aqua, but... but... I'm afraid. You're my friend and my teacher and I love that, and I cherish our bond so much. I'm so afraid that what we have would change if you found out..."

Was that the source of all this drama? Aqua couldn't believe it was something so silly and inconsequential...

No. That was an incorrect way of thinking. Of course to Kairi, something like this was important. Kairi idolized her, probably to a point of extremity. Aqua's opinion meant to the world to her. And romantic feelings were a big deal, maybe not to an outsider like Aqua, but to an ordinary person like Kairi... who usually seemed to have the misfortune of falling not for strangers, but to her friends, to those closest to her. Of course Kairi would be worried that her opinion would change.

Kairi was now staring at Aqua, purple-blue eyes welling up with tears, desperate and terrified for what would come next.

"I could never hate you, Kairi. There's nothing in this world you could do that would make me think less of you." Aqua really felt as if she should hug her distraught apprentice at this point, but was fairly certain physical contact was a bridge too far at this juncture. Comfort by touch would have to come later. "And what I saw, what I learned today... I know you. I know that no matter what your future holds, no matter who you choose to love, you'll do it the right way." Aqua was trying her absolute hardest not to specifically mention the future of the royal harem. Partly not to spook Kairi, and partly because... she felt if she uttered it aloud, it would become more real. "You would never act in a way that would hurt others. Your feeling aren't wrong, Kairi!"

Despite having fought in countless battles, despite having wandered through the shadows of the Realm of Darkness for more than a decade, Aqua never felt quite as weary and exhausted as she did now. Her breath was ragged, and her body shaking, it was if she had run a marathon while carrying Experiment 626 while shrunken by the Fairy Godmother _while _fighting Vanitas! All she had done was tell the truth, divulge her feelings, why had it been so difficult?

The why didn't matter at this juncture, Aqua told herself. All that really mattered was Kairi and her state of being. The redheaded princess was quiet and still, the only movement coming from her eyes, as the flicked about, shimmering lights trying to process the information being handed to her. Kairi exhaled, releasing the tension from her body, shoulders slacking, but her face remained locked in a neutral expression.

"You... you don't hate me, Aqua?" Kairi's voice was unsure, but she felt a weight leave her heart as she spoke. This was a fear that had been plaguing her ever since she had first come to terms with her sexuality and her deep affections for the older woman. The weight grew even smaller when Aqua shook her head. "Not even a little bit?" Again, Aqua shook her head. "You don't think I'm gross and sick and weird?"

Aqua chuckled a little bit. "Well, admittedly, some of those futures were a little...strange. But none of us are exactly normal, are we?"

Kairi stood in stunned silence, still trying to process everything that had happened. _That's it? After all this time holding this in me, it's over just like that? It's just that simple._ She sighed in annoyance at herself. Of course it was that simple. Kairi always had a habit of stewing in her own obsession and fear. Making things bigger than they were. It was the same thing with when she finally confessed to Sora. She was so terrified he wouldn't reciprocate, or that their relationship would eventually fall apart and he would come to hate her; so terrified that by wanting to be closer to Sora she would end up losing him all together.

And, of course, history had repeated itself.

_This better be one of those five-hundred odd futures I'm with Sora, I don't think I can survive confessing my love to anyone else..._

But still, something bothered Kairi. Something else.

"I do have one last question, Master," Kairi began, slowly, disposing of the lime she had utterly ruined in her panicked flurry. "In that, you didn't tell me what you think."

Aqua blinked, completely blindsided by her apprentice. "I'm sorry? Come again?|

"I like you, Aqua, but you didn't tell me how you feel. What do you think about that? What... uh... how do you feel about me?"

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Aqua stared dumbly at Kairi and her question, not anticipating such a thing. She had hoped that by coaxing the girl along, it would have moved them beyond the awkwardness of this topic and back to the awkwardness of the game. Her normally sharp mind moved at a lethargic pace, trying to conjure a way out, but finding no solution or escape.

_It's like back then, back when Zack... no, it's a million times worse than that..._

It didn't take long for Kairi to catch on to the blue-haired woman's sudden and strange muteness, drawing closer with her inquiring eyes. Thankfully, however, both were interrupted by a sharp _rapping_ coming from behind Aqua.

"Sorry. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. Just... I felt like I needed to check in. How's everything going?"

Sora flashed a fairly weak smile while leaning against a wall, trying to offer a sense of reassurance and support to his girlfriend and whatever she may have just gone through. And reassurance and support looked to be exactly what Kairi needed, the redhead sullenly pouting and looking fairly drained and disheveled from her ordeal.

Or, maybe she was putting on an act to butter up her boyfriend.

"Does Kai-Kai want cuddles? Sora asked, arms outstretched, to which Kairi only nodded. "Come get your cuddles, Kai-Kai."

Kairi practically flew into Sora's arms, almost melting into him, desperate for his love and comfort. Sora held her just the way she liked, one hand on the small of her back, the other hand stroking her long crimson hair, swaying their bodies slightly back and forth. Such simple things made all the difference to the Key Bearing Princess. Made her feel like a million munny. Put her weary heart at ease.

"Oh... I must have looked like such an idiot storming out like that..." She murmured into the crook of the brunet's shoulder.

"Nah, it's fine. Okay, Riku may give you a hard time later, but we understand..."

"Just... that image of me and that harem... that can't be real, right?"

"Didn't you say that there's a law still on the books that-"

"Stop! Stop! Not another word!"

"Not to mention, if that future comes true, I wouldn't be upset..."

"Sora!"

"What? You have really good taste! Leon, Tifa, Roxas..."

"Oh my god, of course you would fixate on that..."

"Of course, Aqua. Which, I mean, did you two..?"

"I told her. She forced it out of me. I told her I like her..."

"And?"

"It's rough, but I feel better..."

"See! Told ya you would! Maybe you should listen to me a bit more often..."

"Um, excuse me? I still believe you haven't confessed to Riku about how you feel."

"Okay, okay. Point taken."

"Maybe you should take a bit of your own medicine, first, hun."

Watching from the sides, Aqua felt relieved to see Kairi normalize (if ever so slightly) and recover in the arms of Sora. But, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel pangs of regret and jealousy. She did so much to try and help her apprentice, and Sora swooped in and did far more than she could with just a hug and a few words. His very presence seemed to alleviate her spirit. That the two could be so happy just being in one another's company.

What she would give to have that kind of bond with either of them...

Kairi sighed and finally removed herself from Sora, still clutching onto both of his hands. "Still..."

"Still?"

"I don't know how normal people do it! How do people confess their feelings and talk about romance so easily when it's such a trial for me to do it?"

"I dunno." Sora shrugged. "We just do."

"'We'? Are you implying your more normal than me?" Kairi replied with a playfulness to her voice.

An impish grin formed on Sora's face. "I certainly am." The boy then craned his head over to look more in Aqua's direction, the action catching the Master's eye. "Aqua, I'll never stop being amazed by your strength, your intelligence, and your will. You're a wonderful person who I can't believe is in my life, but I cherish that fact all the same." Sora's tone was soft and earnest, a tone Kairi had heard many times prior. He was doing his best to express his deepest and most heartfelt emotions. "See! Like that!" He returned to Kairi, his grin growing wider, as Kairi shook her head in disbelief.

With the two teens distracted, Aqua immediately turned away, to hide her furiously flushing face. "Th-thank you for that Sora..." She unsteadily stammered out.

"Yeah, well, easy for you to say and do, Mister Lover Boy. Mister Chemistry." In between her taunts, Kairi alternated between sticking out her tongue and landing soft pecks on the cheek of her lover, both of which Sora took on happily.

"The point is – the point – what I wanted to say was -" Sora found himself continually interrupted by a barrage of kisses, so, in order to stop the assault, he span her about and held her by the waist, settling his chin over her shoulder. "What I wanted to tell you was, you don't have to be ashamed or afraid of your future. 'Cause I'll be there for you. Even if we aren't together, even if we drift apart, you'll have my support. Just remember that, because I hate seeing you panic over stuff like this..."

"I know, I know, it's silly of me but..." Kairi trailed off, as she caught Aqua within her periphery, her Master approaching the two of them. "...Love sucks sometimes, but I'm glad I have yours. Your love is the best. Thank you so much, Sora." Kairi leaned in for another smooch, but during, out of the corner of her eye, she could see Aqua standing with her eyes locked on the couple. Staring with an odd amount of intent and focus. "Is something the matter, Master?" She asked after the kiss broke apart.

Aqua's eyes flickered away, as if she was bothered by the fact Kairi knew she was staring. "I was just thinking... how the two of you and your love are the most precious things in this world." A sigh followed, which Kairi thought seemed oddly forlorn. "Should we be heading back to the game?" Aqua offered the two; at the very least she was content that Kairi was looking better, even if those jolts of jealousy remained in her heart. Kairi nodded confidently. That's what was important

"We'll be right behind you, hun." Kairi kissed Sora on the cheek before dismissing him, then turning back to Aqua, addressing her Master in a low tone. "You know, you didn't answer my question, Aqua."

She had not, however, this time Aqua expected Kairi's inquisition. This time, she was prepared.

"Hmm... say, you, Sora, and Riku like making bets, right?" Kairi stared, dumbfounded. Yes, that was true, her and the boys made silly wagers all the time. They had been doing so since childhood. But...what did that have to do with anything? Regardless, she let Aqua continue. "How about we make one between the two of us? The winner will be whoever has more points at the end of the game – placement doesn't matter, simply whoever has the most points – and then the loser has tell the winner one secret." She held up her index finger. "Just one."

Kairi wasn't stupid. She knew her Master was laying down a smokescreen and trying to distract from the topic at hand, as Kairi gave the older woman a shrewd look, but she couldn't figure out her endgame. What did she stand to gain from such a simplistic, trivial bet?

However, Kairi chose to relent. "Okay. One secret." Kairi extended a hand. "You're on, Master. But be prepared, years of doing this with Sora and Riku have made me more than a little competitive."

Aqua clasped Kairi's hand within her own and shook. "I am more than aware of that fact, my faithful apprentice."

With all the business put away, the two young women followed after Sora, taking long strides to catch up with him, the three exiting back into the outside game-space at roughly the same time.

"Hey guy, we're back. Tell me, what did we miss?"

Everyone turned upon Sora's announcement, with Namine standing up to go and comfort her sister, while Roxas filled Sora in on what had happened in the interim.

"Aw man, I missed female Roxas?" Sora exclaimed, bereft of context to anyone not privy to the brothers' conversation. He had to admit to himself, ever since him and Kairi had begun to experiment with the gender-swap potions in the bedroom, he couldn't help but wonder what some of his friends would look like as the opposite sex. "Also, I don't care what you guys say, you would absolutely make a cute couple!" This comment was directed at Riku and Roxas, who both visibly cringed in response.

"Ugh! Stop saying stuff like that..." Riku groused in annoyance, hand held over his face. Sora, however, had already bounced onto his next thought.

"Oh, yeah!" He moved so he was now facing Roxas and Namine, the latter embracing her sister and apologizing for not considering her feelings when she set up the game. "I know you guys said you wanted to play around with gender-swapping. Have you?"

Namine cleared her throat and flushed. "A little, yes." After the "Sandwich" incident – what Namine referred to her triplicate tryst with Sora and Roxas – she had made good on her promise to be more open with her partner as to what she wanted to do in the bedroom. Incorporating the little-known school of magic referred to as bedroom magic. "We're taking things at a gradual pace. Nice and slow. So far, only I've taken the potion."

Sora took a moment to imagine the male-iteration of Namine, picturing a slender and handsome youth, shy and sweet and slight with smooth, gentle features. "Well, take pictures next time. I'd love to see a male Namine." A brief pause followed before Sora blurted out. "Manime!"

Everyone groaned at the awful pun, while Roxas muttered "It's Nanamine" under his breath.

For her part, Aqua was about to question what all this was about. Casual gender-swapping for recreational purposes? Not to mention it sure sounded like Sora and Kairi did stuff like this, as well. But, this time, Aqua decided to hold her tongue and not dig into her friend's private affairs.

The group of six then began to settle down, shifting back to their positions before everything went haywire, focusing back on the game, but it was Riku that spoke up next, addressing Kairi from across the space of the veranda.

"Hey, Kai, I just want to say that I'm sorry for what I did. I probably pushed things a bit too far." Riku scowled as he spoke, arms folded across his chest and hands in his armpits. He looked the picture of discomfort, but that's the way Riku was when it came to sincere emotion. "I mean, yeah, I wanted to push your buttons and I enjoy pushing your buttons, but I said too much, and I didn't mean to upset you like that. Again, sorry."

The princess let out a slight snort of amusement. That might have been the most Riku apology there ever was. "It's okay, Riku. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or anything. I don't want you to worry about it or anything. It's fine."

"Regardless, as an act of contrition, I've decided to air out some of my dirty laundry before the group."

What? Kairi practically hopped out of her seat at that declaration. She wasn't even upset at him; no way he had to go that far. "Riku, seriously, you don't have to-"

"I actually met Fang and Vanille. In Crystallum! Towards the end of my stay there." Riku announced, clearly and in a matter-of-fact voice, though everyone could tell it was taking him a great deal of effort to expose himself like this. His eyes were narrowed and unfocused, and he kept clenching his jaw between sentences. "There was a monster attack in the town I was staying in, so I jumped into action. So did Fang. After that, we all got to talking – they had heard of me and my reputation and they were more than interested to meet a Key Bearer – and I basically saw them for a little bit for the rest of the time I was there. And then..." Riku sighed, his scowl and jaw slacking, now looking more forlorn than stressed or annoyed. "I started to feel real guilty about horning in on their relationship when they are so happy together. All because I got some crazy story from some people from the future. I felt gross."

"Oh, Riku..." Kairi was touched by the display of vulnerability in her childhood friend. So touched that she couldn't just sit around. No. She stood up and rush over to him, arms thrown around his body in a loving hug. Kairi could feel his muscle tense up beneath herself. "You do have feelings. You do have a heart!"

"Shut up... you jerk." Riku still chuckled at the barbs the redhead threw at him, smirking despite his best efforts not too. "Of course I do! I just don't emotion vomit all the time like you saps."

"If you enjoy their company, you should keep seeing them, regardless." Kairi counseled, backing away and giving Riku some space. "You don't have to try and, uh, triangle up with them," Riku flashed her a glare while Kairi giggled at her own joke. "You can just be friends, and you should, if you had such a good time with them."

"And we should get to meet them!" Sora butted in, uttering those words with absolute seriousness.

"No." Was Riku's blunt reply.

"Yes! Come on, new friends! I live for new friends!"

Kairi continued, shuffling fully back to her seat "And, maybe one day, you'll all be more than friends. Maybe it'll grow organically. Maybe it won't. The point is, if those two make make you happy, then you shouldn't feel guilty about it."

Riku mumbled out a "Thank you" before asking more clearly "Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Because you're my friend, dummy! I want you to be happy and you deserve to be happy, whatever it is that makes you happy."

"_**While all of this has been very heartwarming, I do need to remind you we are here for a specific purpose. Not to mention we're only partway through Round One!"**_

Everyone snapped to attention when the seemingly forgotten future computer spoke up. Right. This wasn't "Lovey-Dovey Let's Everyone Explore Their Sexuality And Talk About Our Feelings Happy Fun-Time". They were here for a game. A game that led to said Happy Fun-Time, but that was beyond that point. Now that everyone was back and assembled, things could continue.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Futo." Namine apologized, awkwardly, as it was just a computer. "We sort of got wrapped up in our own drama for a second."

"_**So long as we keep everything moving at an orderly pace from here on out. But, with that out of the way, you are our next contestant, Miss Namine. Are you ready?**_

"I suppose so..."

"_**Great! Let's begin!"**_

As before, five card appeared on the projected screen, symbolizing the questions Namine would be facing for the round. Almost as soon as the card materialized, the first flipped over, showing an image of Namine cuddling with another woman. Not just any other woman, but it was very clear this lovely redhead was Kairi. The two young women were bunch up together on some sort of couch, Namine lounging her head in Kairi's lap and gazing up at the redhead with a look of calm, joyful serenity.

In response, both Namine and Kairi hunched over and covered their faces with their hands, practically mirroring their actions, while both their boyfriends had greatly different threw away all pretense of subtlety and drank the image in, practically leering at it while Roxas swallowed hard, trying his best to maintain a poker face. But, regardless of outward reaction, both Kido brothers were conjuring similar risque scenarios between the two girls in their minds.

"_**Question #1! True or False: You have Kairi as a potential future partner?"**_

Namine groaned. "No..." _**BZZT!**_ "Erk...!" Now she was beginning to understand just how Roxas felt regarding his feelings for Sora. The awkwardness and thorniness of this odd attraction to someone so close to you. Slowly, the blonde witch dared to look over in Kairi's direction, who seemed to be just as mortified as her sister.

"This... I don't understand this." Aqua spoke up, before quickly correcting herself. "Not Kairi and Namine sharing love for each other, that's fine." Kairi breathed a sigh of relief at her Master's approval of yet another one of her loves. "With Kairi and Namine and Sora and Roxas being siblings in all but blood, how do these futures work?"

"As far as we're aware, these futures don't branch off from this current point in time, or from any one specific point." Riku explained, one eye on Aqua and the other on Sora, who had yet to pick his jaw from the floor. "They branch off from basically any point in our lives. So, I guess, there's a timeline out there where these two don't go all in on the sister thing and there's less of an issue of them hooking up."

"I mean, I feel like a broken record here, but you two would be great together!" Said Sora, who only spoke after the image of Kairi and Namine vanished from the screen.

Kairi nodded feebly and patted her boyfriend on the thigh. "I don't doubt that, sweetie, it's just..." Kairi's eyes drifted over to the blonde. The woman she called "sister". The woman she might – in another time and another place – have called "lover". "Not everyone is as open with you on these sorts of things."

Meanwhile, as the next card was prepared to reveal itself, Roxas was gently patting patting his girlfriend on the hand. He had been through this, he knew how confused she must have felt at the moment, so he was more than happy to offer his support.

And, oh boy, support was what she was going to need given the newly unveiled future...

"_**Question #2! True or False: You have Larxene as a potential future partner?"**_

Appearing as she did during Roxas' game, the electrifying Savage Nymph made her presence known on the screen again. The reactions of the group ran the gamut of surprised to horrified. Everyone was all too aware of the abuse Namine had suffered within the walls of Castle Oblivion, even Aqua, and no one wanted Namine to relive those dark days. To be confronted with one of her tormentors again.

"False!" Namine practically roared her answer, an incredibly shocking response. She had probably the most even temperament of anyone here, rarely showing anger. And especially not this much. "There's no possible way it can be anything other than false!"

_**BZZT!**_

That singular buzzer sent a chill running down Namine's spine, spreading through her body, as her blood turned to ice.

"_**I'm sorry, but that's incorrect! Unlikely as it may seem, you and Larxene -"**_

"No. No! You're wrong!" Namine was having none of this. She was livid. Beyond livid. She didn't think there was a word that could describe how angry she was. "I would never show that awful woman any sort of kindness, let alone love!"

"_**...I'm sorry if this is upsetting to you, but, as I have mentioned before, my data-banks are never wrong. If I declare a future is possible, then it is possible! Regardless of how improbable it may seem!"**_

"You're wrong! Wrong! Liar. Liar! Fuck you!" The blonde continued to spit insults at the computer and her own horrid future, springing up out of her seat, as if to charge the screen. Fortunately, Roxas jumped into action, both his arms seizing around her waist, pulling her back into the seat while offering her soothing whispers.

"It's okay, Nam... it's okay. She can't hurt you anymore. She'll never hurt you again... Not while I'm around..."

The sudden spurt of hatred within Namine was quickly doused by Roxas and his loving embrace, the witch slouching in defeat and exhaustion. There was no way that could be true... Larxene was awful. A monster. The emotional, mental, and physical abuse Namine suffered at her hands...

The girl felt her throat clench up, her entire body shivered, as Roxas held her even more tightly.

"Uh, maybe fast-track to the next question, please?" Sora asked politely. "Get us away from Namine and her past as soon as possible?"

"_**Already on it!"**_

The third card flipped over, revealing... the image of a man with light pink hair.

"Oh, god damn it!" Riku bellowed his curse, as everyone in the group was set to the edge once more.

"_**Question #3! True or False: You have Marluxia as a potential future partner?"**_

Everyone braced themselves, fully expecting another uncharacteristic outburst from Namine, but the blonde didn't utter a peep. Didn't so much as struggle against Roxas' grip. Instead, she seemed to wither away from the mere presence of the Organization's Graceful Assassin.

"...False..." she squeaked out in the tiniest voice imaginable, barely audible over the background din of suburbia.

Finally, finally, a victorious _**DING!**_ resonated from the Futoracle, putting Namine on the board and drawing relieved expressions from everyone gathered.

"Riku, can I have one of your beers?" Namine asked, still having not removed herself from her boyfriend. The question blindsided the silver-haired man, both in it's suddenness and it's context.

"But you don't drink beer, Nam..."

"I just want one, please. I really feel like I could use a drink." She could really use a bottle of brain bleach to wipe away the memory of the last ten minutes of her life, but alcohol would make for a quick substitute.

Riku nodded and reached over to his cooler, fishing out a mango-flavoured session ale. Fruity. Light. Easy-drinking. Perfect for a newb like Namine. With a frantic speed, Namine cracked the top and stood up, craning her head skyward, can to her lips, the vessel flipped a full one-eighty upside down. Everyone watched as the blonde's face screwed up in concentration, as she struggled to gulp down the entirety of the beverage in one go. It was awkward and unsettling but no one was really able to turn away. Kairi in particular. Even when the sisters cut loose and partied with friends, they weren't much for drinking; Namine especially had a reputation for being a lightweight. To see her chug down a beer with this much intensity... well, given the circumstances, Kairi couldn't necessarily blame her.

After what felt like an extraordinarily inordinate amount of time, Namine finished her drink, practically collapsing backwards into her seat, empty aluminum can clattering to the wooden deck, as she coughed and gasped for air. "Thank you, Riku. I may want another one later."

"You gonna be alright, Namine?" Roxas leaned in, hand on her shoulder, looking exceptionally worried. Everyone wore a worried expression on their face, which Namine figured was to be expected.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks guys. I'll pull through. Just..." She shook her head, her lips beginning to go into a crooked smile. "Just my luck those two pop up, huh? Course, all things considered, Larxene might be the lesser of two evils in this scenario. I think I'm more relieved I don't end up with Marluxia than angry I end up with her..." Namine forced herself to laugh, she knew it sounded artificial and fake, but felt it was better than showing more anger or sorrow.

Thankfully, Sora returned her laughter with a cheeky grin. "Well, uh, welcome to the "I Might Marry A Psycho Electro" Club. Me and Rox are founding members!"

Roxas turned his head away and grimaced. "That reminds me, I want to rescind my membership, ASAP."

"Namine, know that, as your sister, I will support whatever relationship you find yourself in," Kairi began, trying to split the difference between serious and joking, "but if you bring _her_ home to meet mom... we're gonna have words, 'kay?" Namine let out a small giggle at Kairi's act, glad to have the support of such a protective big sister.

Riku, however, took a different method of helping his friend. "In all seriousness... fuck that bitch!"

"I have to admit, Riku does have a way with words sometimes." Aqua said, shaking her head at it all. "A vulgar way, but a way nonetheless."

"But he's right, regardless." Roxas cheered, holding onto Namine's hand as he did. "You're a completely different person than back then. And you're better than her, in every way possible. Larxene has no control over you anymore."

Namine smiled serenely, quietly counting her blessings. "Okay, okay, enough of the pity party, let's get back at it." Her blue eyes fell towards the future computer. "Okay, Futo, bring it on! Show me which other abusive jerk you're going to match me up with!" Namine's taunting was, in truth, a brave front she was putting on. If, say, the Futoracle showed her a future where she was with Saix or Ansem or Xehanort or the like, she would probably die then and there.

God, she hoped this wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass...

"_**I appreciate the enthusiasm, but, please, the taunting isn't necessary. I am only following my programming!"**_

"Uh... sorry. Sorry. Just kind of got too into it."

"_**Onto Question #4! True or False: In the future, you are more likely to live on the world of Destiny Islands than the world of Twilight Town?"**_

The image projected on the screen was another dual landscape, a panoramic view of both the tropical paradise the players were currently on, as well as the sleep and sunny streets of Twilight Town. Namine said a quick and quiet prayer to whatever divine beings may be protecting her for giving her a question like this.

However, this did provide it's own challenges. Unlike before, where she answered from her gut, where she was certain of the truth right away, this one required a bit more thought. Yes, she loved the Islands, having called them home for the past several years, and having experienced them even prior through Sora's memories. But there was something intrinsically special about Twilight Town. Maybe it was because it was a place she and Roxas both shared a connection with...

Certain with her logic and divination, Namine confidently answered, "False!"

_**BZZT!**_

"_**Incorrect! While you do have many futures with you living in Twilight Town, it is the third most likely world you settle down on, with the Islands coming second, just behind Radiant Garden!"**_

"Come on!" Namine was certain she had that one. Not that she found this future objectionable, far beyond that, she was just miffed that she was putting in such a poor performance and was now definitely losing.

"_**And we're onto the Final Question! Let's see if Namine can improve her score just a little bit!"**_

"The taunting is necessary, Futo." Namine repeated in a snotty manner.

"Woah, someone's getting salty." Sora cautioned, playfully. "Careful everyone, Namine can get really intense when she's losing."

"Yeah. I get that from you." Was Namine's response, sticking her tongue out as she spoke. As the final card flipped over.

This time, the card revealed multiple images, all with a theme: Namine paired with various others. Plural.

Each individual image had Namine lovingly together with at least two other people. Namine with Roxas and Sora. Namine with Roxas and Lulu. Namine with Sora and Kairi (that was certainly a new one). One image just had Namine, Kairi, Roxas, and Sora all together, chained arm-in-arm.

Namine's face reddened when she grasped the scope of the various futures, but maintained her composure otherwise. She knew what was coming.

"_**True or False: You have multiple futures where you have a poly-amorous relationship?"**_

"Yeah. That night with Sora and Rox _absolutely_awoken something in you." Kairi said in a low voice.

"I'm not... I won't object to any of those futures..." Roxas muttered to himself. Sora quietly said similar sentiments.

Aqua seemed more confused than anything else. "Tell me, are multiple person relationships really that common? Because I don't think I've come across anyone involved in one of these..."

"They're not." Riku answered. "It's a combination of needing the right kind of people and love to make it work, plus, most societies typically only favour monogamous relationships." After a pause, looking at the screen once more, he then added. "But we're not normal people who live normal lives. And, you know, so long as Namine is happy and all that junk..."

"Such a glowing endorsement, Riku!" Namine teased. She knew his feelings were far more sincere than that, he just had difficulty expressing them as such. "Anyways, cards on the table everyone, when Kairi and I first got Futo, I played around with it for a bit and saw a couple of my pairings, so I already know the answer to this one -"

"I knew you had rigged this..." Riku snarked.

"-And it's true! True."

_**DING!**_

"_**Correct you are! In fact, all the images presented are possible futures.**_

"_**Regardless, that finishes this round, Namine earning only two points. Not great, but there are still plenty of games to play and points to win! Now, onto our final contestant for round one: would Lady Aqua please step forward!"**_

Not missing a beat, Aqua stood up and strode forward to the middle of the play area, taking center stage. She moved with the same combination grace and determination as she did during battle. Now, this was the real event everyone was waiting for. As far as romance went, Aqua was a complete cipher. No one present had much of beat on her preferences, her wants or her needs. Everyone was certain that this game would illuminate new information about the blue-haired Master.

Kairi, especially, was going to watch every second with an analytical eye. Aqua had avoided her question earlier, and while she was willing to let it slide, she was still curious. Still possessed by a burning craving and need to know.

Strangely, though, when the first card flipped over, no image appeared on screen. It remained a wholly blank canvas.

"_**Question #1! True or False: You have multiple futures where you remain a bachelorette?"**_

"I will have to say true to that." Aqua announced, quickly and concisely, having to deliberate very little on the ask. And her haste was rewarded with a peppy _**DING!**_

To say that everyone felt a little disappointed at both the question, the answer, and the truth, would be an understatement. They were expecting something a little bit more revealing, and instead were delivered an anticlimax.

"_**Correct! Remember boys and girls, never feel pressured by society and others to find fulfillment in romance. It is perfectly healthy and acceptable if you are more happy and comfortable with just yourself!"**_

"Uh... thanks for the PSA there, Futo..." Roxas said, more than mystified as to the nature of such a statement. Yeah, it was true, he wouldn't argue that, but it seemed a little out of place with the nature of the game.

Quickly, the next card flipped over, thankfully with an image filling the screen this time. Said image was that of a young man almost identical to Roxas. As in, the only difference was the clothing the two were wearing. The boy may as well have been Roxas' twin, but everyone knew better.

This would be Ventus, one of Aqua's lost friends.

"_**Question #2! True or False: You have Ventus as a potential future partner?"**_

Aqua shook her head in disbelief, almost scoffing. "Me and Ven? No that's... false. My answer is false."

_**DING!**_

"_**Correct you are! Aqua quickly has earned two points, tying Namine in less than half the questions!"**_

"Again with the taunting!" Namine threw up in arms at the barb. "If this keeps up, get ready for the reign of the Queen of the Salt, everyone..."

"It's her trying to play _Beat Saber_ all over again..." Sora muttered, reflecting on that day where Namine revealed her utter lack of coordination and rhythm, and her anger and frustrations over that fact.

The third card in the line of questions revealed itself, the image of another young man coming into view. This man, however, was tall, imposing and muscular, spikey brown hair worn long, with smooth and distinguished facial features. And despite the strength and power he obviously possessed, there was a gentleness to him. The air of a noble protector instead of just a brawny warrior.

Namine quickly shied away from the image of Terra, doing her best not to dredge up memories of Seito, their potential future child.

"_**Question #3: True or False: You have Terra as a potential future partner?"**_

That look of disbelief never left Aqua's face. It may have actually deepened. "False." Came her instant answer.

_**BZZT!**_

"What!?"

"_**I'm sorry that is incorrect! And there goes the chance of anyone finishing True or False with a perfect score."**_

Aqua shook her head at this new information regarding herself and her surrogate brother. "Terra and I? That's absurd..." But was it really? Riku had already mentioned these futures branched off from all over her past. Her history. Perhaps their was a timeline out their where Terra wasn't taken away by Xehanort. Or one where she revived him much earlier.

At the very least, Aqua was emboldened by the fact that there were some iterations of herself that succeeded where she had so far failed, romance or not.

"We know Aqua. Trust me, we all know this sensation." Namine quickly interjected, offering the older woman a supportive look. "Finding out the feelings you have for someone very close to you might be more complex than you originally thought." Sora offered his agreement, as well.

"Hell, I've sort of made a gimmick out of doing that."

Aqua waved off the concern, gracefully. "It's alright. Thank you, though. Shock or not, I can at least see this happening. Terra can be a little naive at times, but he's brave and spirited and goes out of his way to help others and -" Aqua caught herself smiling and stopped, forcing her face into neutrality. She was not going to talk herself into this, possible futures or not.

"Plus, I bet he gives really great hugs." Namine added, not helping Aqua's state, but the comment did draw a bit of a cheery grin from the blue-haired Master.

Meanwhile, as the third question receded and the fourth prime itself, Kairi kept quiet and focused and watchful. At the very least, they had gleaned some information about Aqua; she was heterosexual, at the very least. But that didn't do a thing to answer the question Kairi still harboured. Yes, she had previously encountered Cascadia, the warrior princess who claimed to be the daughter of the two female Key Bearers, but until she had the truth before her own eyes, experienced it firsthand, Kairi would not believe anything else.

"_**Question #4! True or False: You have Riku as a potential future partner?"**_

With the utterance of his name and the display of his image, Riku sat up in attention. Everyone gathered did, actually, even the single-minded Kairi. This was certainly not a ship any of the group had given much thought beforehand...

"No, that is..." Aqua paused again, pursing her lips and thinking. She was about to give another hasty answer, but it had failed her last time. What if...? "Considering how I was certain Terra and I weren't compatible, I think I'll take a gamble. My answer is true."

_**DING!**_

"_**The gamble pays off! You are correct!"**_

Roxas shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You can do so much better, Aqua..." The blond's brother, however, disagreed.

"I think he's a lucky guy to have someone like Aqua." Sora said in his usual chipper manner. "And she's just as lucky to have a guy like Riku. They're a good match!" They were both the strongest of the Key Bearers, in his mind at least. And also both stunningly gorgeous, again, in his mind.

Riku's reaction was much more controlled and deliberate, barely emoting at all. Sure, from a pure beauty stand point, Aqua was pretty. Beautiful, really. But he had never given much thought to her as anything other than a friend, a training partner, and a measuring stick used to compare his own power and skill. She was far too stiff, too self-serious, too beholden to her precepts and traditions. Then, again, that discipline and integrity was admirable. More than admirable, it was -

No. No. No. Riku shook his head to clear away those thoughts. He was not going to talk himself into this.

Aqua, however, pursued a different path, leaning over and gazing at Riku, a very uncharacteristically playful smile cresting her lips.

"You know, Riku, we are surrounded by couples, already. Almost all the time. We are the odd ones out. Perhaps we should make things a bit more even..."

Riku's response was as deadpan and sudden as it possibly could be, as he leaned back, nostrils flared and eyes wide.

"...Are you flirting with me?"

The little smile on the Master's lip faltered, as she looked incredibly sheepish and put-out all of sudden, a bit of scarlet creeping into her flesh. "No! No, no, no! I was just trying to -" Aqua sighed, words failing her, as she hung her head in shame. "And this is why I don't tell jokes."

A tide of good natured laughter washed over the two, Aqua even joining in with a shy chuckle, while Riku face-palmed and turned away.

"Maybe save the courtship for after the game, okay you two?" Namine joked, giving a little wink towards Riku, who only rolled his eyes.

"_**And after all this time, we've made it to the final question of True or False! Ready or not, here we go!"**_

"_**True or False: You are more likely to live on the Land of Departure than any other world?"**_

Well, that seemed to make for a cut-and-dry finale. Everyone knew of the Land of Departure, an ancient training grounds that had reared and raised Key Bearers for untold generations. It was the place Aqua had called home for so long, where she and Ven and Terra had spent their formative years. Sure, the world had been destroyed and warped beyond recognition, but it wasn't beyond repair, so surely this would -

"False." Aqua sadly uttered. "This is false."

Much to the collective's surprise, the future computer responded with a resounding _**DING!**_

"_**Correct you are! And with that, Aqua finishes with four points, as well!"**_

"I'm actually curious how you seemed to know that answer already." Riku stated, carefully watching how the woman was acting.

"Well, I've been thinking as of late, about what I'll do when Terra and Ven finally come back." Whenever she spoke about her personal mission of saving her two long-lost friends, Aqua always spoke in the most certain and confident terms. And all of her friends believed in that confidence. "And it always goes back to continuing the legacy of the Keyblade. Taking up my role of Master and starting a new training grounds to raise the next generation that comes after you. I don't know if my home is salvageable, or if I can do it alone, but where I establish this school is irrelevant." A glint of sorrow flashed within Aqua's blue eyes. "It hurts to say aloud, but it's the truth. The Land of Departure is just a world, just a place. There are more important things than a castle and some grasslands."

"Aqua." Kairi stood up, moving next to the elder Key Bearer and placing a hand on her shoulder. Regardless of her disappointment in not finding her answers – yet – supporting her friend came first. "Even if you can't bring back your home, you'll always have a home with Terra and Ven. With us. With me."

Aqua lowered her head and smiled. "Thank you, Kairi. That means a lot."

"And, hey, seeing as how I'm working to becoming Queen, if you need some land for these new training grounds, well... I'm certain I can find some place on the Garden that will be acceptable."

Riku snorted, derisively. "Not even coronated and she's already abusing her power to line the pockets of her friends. Typical monarch."

Kairi quickly fired back a snide remark of her own, Sora and Aqua stepping into play peacemaker before things escalated, even if they were only bickering in a playful manner. As this was happening, however, the screen projected began to shift, now showcasing a scorecard of sorts, ranking the players and their performance so far.

"_**And with that, True or False comes to a close! One round down, three left to go! Currently, we have a logjam up at first place, with Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Aqua all holding strong with four points. Kairi is next in line with three, while Namine trails in last with only two. However, there are still plenty of games to play and plenty of points to earn, so it's still wide open!**_

"_**We'll be taking a short intermission between rounds, but when we come back, round two will officially begin, and we'll be playing a little game I like to call... Top Five!"**_

* * *

_Wanted to get this one done and out ASAP. Don't expect the next one of these to be published anytime soon; for the time being my priority is going to be **She Will Light The Way**, with this as a side-project._

_But until then, don't be shy on sharing your prediction on who are winner is going to be, or the nature of future games. Or anything really. Don't be shy, drop a line, anytime._

_Oh, and, before I do go, I just want to REMIND everyone (see what I did there)... not to buy the Re: Mind DLC for Kingdom Hearts III. Square obviously rushed this game out the door with an incomplete third act and now wants to actually finish it, nearly a year after launch, and charge extra for it. That is absolute garbage. It's garbage when any game company does it. Do not buy Re: Mind. Save your money and watch it on Youtube when it comes out. I'm certain you'll feel the same levels of disappointment and frustration you would as if you played it._


End file.
